NBA Cup: Each group favorite and the teams fighting for a wild-card spot

The second edition of the in-season tournament, known as the Emirates NBA Cup , tips off Tuesday.

All 30 teams will play four group-stage games across the next several weeks for the chance to reach the knockout rounds and ultimately the championship game on Dec.

17 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Behind the efforts of LeBron James , the Los Angeles Lakers won the inaugural NBA Cup but their first-round exit in the 2024 playoffs proved that getting hot to win a single-elimination tournament in December is very different from subsequent postseason success.

Conversely, last year's runner-up Indiana Pacers used their unexpected NBA Cup success as a springboard to a long playoff run, reaching the Eastern Conference finals before falling to the eventual champion Boston Celtics .

Let's break down which teams have the best chance at following in the footsteps of the Lakers and Pacers with the help of ESPN's Basketball Power Index , which generates projected odds of advancing as the group winner.

We'll also evaluate which teams are best positioned to potentially claim the wild-card spot in each conference with an eye toward Las Vegas.

Jump to a group: East Group A (CHA, BKN, NYK, ORL, PHI) East Group B (DET, IND, MIA, MIL, TOR) East Group C (ATL, BOS, CHI, CLE, WAS) West Group A (HOU, LAC, MIN, POR, SAC) West Group B (OKC, LAL, PHX, SA, UTAH) West Group C (DAL, DEN, GS, NO, MEM) Continue reading this article and more from top writers, for only $11.99/mo.

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