The Sixers now know the road they’ll have to travel in 2026 NBA Cup group play, and it’s a brutal one.
The NBA released the full slate on Wednesday, putting Philadelphia in Eastern Conference Group B with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat and New York Knicks. The group schedule gives the Sixers four high-profile matchups, starting with a home date against New York on October 30 at 7:30 p.m. on Prime Video.
Philadelphia’s other group games are November 6 at Cleveland at 7:30 p.m. on Prime Video, November 25 at home against Miami at 5:00 p.m. on ESPN, and November 27 at Indiana at 7:30 p.m.
All four opponents bring real punch. The Cavaliers, Pacers, Heat and Knicks each feature star power and quality help around it, which makes this one of the tougher draws in the field.
The Sixers are still trying to break through in the league’s in-season tournament. This will be the fourth edition of the NBA Cup, and Philadelphia has failed to reach the Knockout Rounds in each of the first three years. That’s despite head coach Nick Nurse being a firm believer in the event, shaped in part by his experience with similar tournaments overseas.
The matchup that jumps off the page is the trip to Cleveland. LeBron James’ games against his hometown team have become must-see TV, and after James turned down Cleveland this summer to join the Sixers, the atmosphere there should carry an extra edge.
The format leaves little margin for error. In Eastern Conference Group B, the Sixers will be chasing one of four spots into the Knockout Rounds, the eight-team single-elimination bracket that decides the NBA Cup champion. Three group winners from each conference advance, along with one wild card, and point differential serves as the tiebreaker if teams finish level.
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Philadelphia also opens with the Knicks on opening night and gets the Cavaliers in its home opener, giving the early part of the season a distinctly spotlight feel. The NBA is still set to release the Cup group-stage schedule and the full slate later this week, so there will be more details to sort through soon, but the headline dates already show the Sixers are again part of the leagues featured programming. [Read more 🡒]