NBA Cup 2024: Who the Kings will play & what to know

Nov 15, 2024, 8:09 AM

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 09: De'Aaron Fox #5 shakes hands with Domantas Sabonis #11 of the ...

(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Lead Editor & Kings Beat Writer

The Emirates NBA Cup has arrived.

After a successful inaugural season in 2023-24, the NBA’s In-Season Tournament has a new name–but the same look and layout.

Nearly all 30 teams will display their flashy NBA Cup courts on Friday night as the group play stage continues, but the Sacramento Kings will be playing its first game of the newly-named tournament at home against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

When and who will the Kings play in the NBA Cup?

Here is the Group Play slate for the Kings in November and December:

Sacramento will host the Minnesota Timberwolves (Friday, November 15th) and Houston Rockets (Tuesday, December 3rd) at Golden 1 Center and head on the road for matchups against the Los Angeles Clippers (Friday, November 22nd) and Portland Trail Blazers (Friday, November 29th).

The Kings will not play any national TV games during the Group Play stage of the NBA Cup.

stage is set, see y’all tm night @Golden1Center 👀 👑 pic.twitter.com/pwZ7NMT9XX

— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) November 15, 2024

How the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup works

All 30 teams will be randomly drawn into groups of five within their conference based on win-loss records from the 2023-24 regular season. Beginning Tuesday, Nov. 12 and continuing through Tuesday, Dec. 3, each team will play four designated Group Play games on “Cup Nights” – one game against each opponent in its group, with two games at home and two on the road.

Eight teams will advance to the Knockout Rounds: the team with the best standing in Group Play games in each of the six groups and two “wild cards” (the team from each conference with the best record in Group Play games that finished second in its group).

The Knockout Rounds will consist of single-elimination games in the Quarterfinals (played in NBA team markets on Tuesday, Dec. 10 and Wednesday, Dec. 11) and Semifinals and Championship (played in Las Vegas on Dec. 14 and Dec. 17, respectively). The Knockout teams will compete for a prize pool and the NBA Cup championship trophy.

Courtesy of NBA.com

When is the next Sacramento Kings game?

Sacramento will begin the group play portion of the NBA Cup (In-Season Tournament) on Friday night at Golden 1 Center against Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Kings will play four group play games before the tournament enters the knockout stage on December 10th.

Be sure to catch all of the Kings vs. T-Wolves action right here on Sactown Sports 1140 AM, with pregame coverage starting at 2:00 PM PT on The Drive Guys before action tips off at 7:00 PM PT from downtown Sacramento.