The Thunder’s path through the 2026 NBA Cup is now on the board, and it starts with a West Group B that looks manageable on paper. Oklahoma City landed alongside the Minnesota Timberwolves, LA Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies and New Orleans Pelicans, with every team in the group set to face each other once during November.
That setup gives the Thunder a clear lane to control. The winner of the group moves on to the eight-team knockout round, and with the rest of the field in West Group B, Oklahoma City will enter as the favorite to take it.
This is the NBA Cup’s fourth year, and the format stays the same: six groups of five teams split evenly between the West and East. After group play, the six group winners advance, and two more spots go to one wildcard team from each conference.
The knockout rounds are already mapped out. The quarterfinals are scheduled for Dec. 4-5, followed by the semifinals on Dec.
8-9. The 2026 NBA Cup final will be played on Dec. 11, with Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, now serving as the championship site after the event moved on from Las Vegas.
There’s also the money angle that comes with this tournament. Players get financial bonuses for advancing, and the payouts grow deeper into the bracket. Every game except the NBA Cup final also counts in the regular-season standings.
Oklahoma City’s group slate includes these matchups: Thunder vs. Grizzlies
Thunder vs. Clippers
Pelicans vs. Thunder
Timberwolves vs. Thunder
In Other News...
Kevin Durants Westbrook Message Hits Right At Thunder Fans History
Russell Westbrooks retirement announcement prompted a flood of reaction across the NBA, but Kevin Durants message landed especially hard for Thunder fans who lived through the rise of that era in Oklahoma City. Durant looked back on the eight years they spent together with the franchise, emphasizing the grind, the shared day-to-day work and the way their partnership helped define a run that put the Thunder at the center of the league conversation.
For a fan base that still measures that stretch by playoff pushes and what might have been, Durants note carried the weight of history instead of nostalgia for its own sake. He credited Westbrooks impact on the franchise and on the teams legacy, a reminder that even as their paths split long ago, the imprint they left in Oklahoma City is still part of the story being told whenever either name comes up. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder Fans Already Have One Big Russell Westbrook Debate
Russell Westbrooks retirement closes the book on an 18-season NBA run that began in Oklahoma City and helped define an era for the Thunder. He spent his first 11 seasons with the franchise, won an MVP award, made nine All-Star teams and turned the triple-double into part of the leagues everyday conversation. Even with his career now officially finished, his place in Thunder history feels settled, and the only real question around the organization is how soon the team will formally honor him.
There is already widespread expectation that Oklahoma City will retire Westbrooks No. 0 jersey, and Jalen Williams recently floated the idea that the ceremony could happen at the teams upcoming home opener. For Thunder fans, that only adds to the anticipation around a player who remains one of the franchises defining figures. The debate now is not really whether Westbrook belongs in that rafters conversation, but when the moment will arrive and how the organization chooses to frame it. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder Fans Will Get Some Emotional Title Reunion Games This Season
The Thunders championship season now has a few familiar faces scattered around the league, and the first wave of reunion nights will arrive early. Lu Dort and Aaron Wiggins, now teammates in Atlanta after Oklahoma Citys 2026 offseason shakeup, are scheduled to come back through Paycom Center in November, giving fans a chance to see two pieces of the title run in opposing colors.
Isaiah Joe is next up, with Detroit bringing him back to Oklahoma City in December, while Branden Carlsons return wont come until 2027 after his trade to Portland. For a fan base that just watched a title group get broken up in pieces, the calendar is already setting up a handful of emotional nights, even if some of the biggest reminders of what the Thunder built are still ahead. [Read more 🡒]