Breaking News: Emirates NBA Cup Schedule Released - Today at 3 ET!

Just 3 months (91 days, to be exact) until the NBA Emirates Cup tips off. Which brings us to…

THE LINEUP

What’s inside today’s edition?

Emirates NBA Cup 101: Everything you need to know

NBA Cup Look Back: The Lakers won the first-ever in-season competition last season

NBA Cup In Photos: Some of our favorite frames from the inaugural NBA Cup

Men’s Olympic Roundup: Steph, KD & LeBron lead USA; Wemby & Jokic shine in medal round

Women’s Olympic Roundup: USA dynasty survives scare to win record eighth straight gold

1. EVERYTHING TO KNOW ABOUT THE EMIRATES NBA CUP

The Emirates NBA Cup 2024, the NBA’s second annual in-season competition, will tip off on Tuesday, Nov. 12.

And today at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN, we’ll find out which games will get the competition started as the schedule for all 60 Group Play games will be unveiled on NBA Today.

Before we begin circling dates for our favorite matchups, let’s review how all of this works. Similar to last year, the competition consists of two stages: Group Play and the Knockout Rounds.

Group Play: All 30 teams have been randomly drawn into groups of five within their conference. On Tuesdays and Fridays from Nov. 12 to Dec. 3 – known as “Cup Nights” – each team will play the other four teams in its group one timeWho Advances? Eight teams will advance to the Knockout Rounds: the team with the best Group Play record in each of the six groups and two “wild cards” – the team from each conference with the best Group Play record that finished second in its group. For tiebreaker rules, click hereKnockout Rounds: The eight teams will play single-elimination games, beginning with the Quarterfinals (played in team markets on Dec. 10 and 11) and continuing in the Semifinals and Finals (played in Las Vegas on Dec. 14 and 17, respectively)What’s At Stake? The Knockout teams will compete for a prize pool and the NBA Cup championship trophyReminder:

All 67 games across both stages of the Emirates NBA Cup will count toward the regular-season standings except the Championship

Want a deeper dive into how it all works? Let Richard Jefferson explain

NBA Cup Hub: All the latest news & information on the competitionNBA Cup FAQ: Still have questions? Get the answers hereKey Dates:

From Group Play to the Knockout Rounds to Las Vegas, see when everything is going down

The Group Draw was unveiled on July 12, setting up the Group Play matchups. Today, we’ll find out when and where those games will be played and how to watch. Each team will play two home and two road games during Group Play.

Western Conference

West Group A: Timberwolves, Clippers, Kings, Rockets, BlazersWest Group B: Thunder, Suns, Lakers, Jazz, SpursWest Group C:

Nuggets, Mavericks, Pelicans, Warriors, Grizzlies

Eastern Conference

East Group A: Knicks, Magic, 76ers, Nets, HornetsEast Group B: Bucks, Pacers, Heat, Raptors, PistonsEast Group C:

Celtics, Cavaliers, Bulls, Hawks, Wizards

2. NBA CUP REWIND: LAKERS WIN THE INAUGURAL IN-SEASON COMPETITION

The NBA launched the NBA Cup – then called the In-Season Tournament – in 2023 with a focus on “providing players and teams with another competition to win, engaging fans in a different way and driving further interest in the early portion of the regular-season schedule.”

The stakes were higher. There was something to play for – and win – beyond the regular-standings in the opening months of the seasonThe look was different. The special uniforms and loud courts used during the tournament designated again that these games were uniqueThe competition was elevated.

A key piece to the success of the new competition was having the coaches and players buy-in. They did, which brought a postseason atmosphere to games in October and November

In the end, the Los Angeles Lakers won the first-ever NBA Cup, defeating the Indiana Pacers in the Championship game behind a “Shaq-like dominant performance” from Anthony Davis, who finished with 41 points, 20 boards, five assists and four blocks in a 123-109 win.

LeBron James was named Tournament MVP – adding another trophy to his massive collection of accolades – after averaging 26.4 points, 8.0 rebounds and 7.6 assists in seven gamesLeBron On Winning The First-Ever NBA Cup: “Records will be broken. But one thing that will never be broken is being the first to do something.”Tyrese Haliburton emerged as a star – carrying the upstart Pacers with a combination of clutch play and flair that was as entertaining as it was effectiveThe young Pacers got their first taste

of games with a “playoff feel” and used that experience to fuel a run to the Eastern Conference Semifinals in the 2024 NBA Playoffs

Take a look back at some of the top moments and performances from the inaugural event by going inside the numbers.

3. INAUGURAL NBA CUP RUN IN PHOTOS

4. OLYMPIC ROUNDUP: VETERANS SHINE AS USA MEN WIN 5TH STRAIGHT GOLD

USA Men Make It Five Straight: The United States closed the 2024 Olympics with a pair of epic wins over Serbia (overcoming a 17-point deficit) and France (edging out the host country) to win a fifth straight gold medal – a run that began in 2008 in Beijing.

Curry’s Olympic Moment(s): When Curry won Finals MVP in 2022 during the Warriors’ fourth title run, he added yet another accolade to one of the most accomplished resumes in NBA history. But one thing was still missing – an Olympic gold medal – and Curry knew 2024 was his chance to get it.

Slow Start: Curry’s first Olympic experience got off to a bit of a rocky start as the greatest 3-point shooter of all-time could not find his usual touch. Through four games in Paris, Curry had scored just 29 total points with five 3-pointers on 25% shootingSurviving Serbia: Curry broke out of his shooting slump in a major way in the semifinals against Serbia, scoring 36 points and knocking down nine 3s – the last one being the go-ahead bucket to complete a 17-point comeback for the USA“Nuit, Nuit,” France:

In the Gold Medal Game, Curry hit four 3s in the final 2:48 of the game – including the “Golden Dagger” with 35 seconds left to ice the game – and the gold – for the USA and capped it off with his signature “Night, Night” celebration

Durant Wins Record Fourth Olympic Gold: The Paris Games saw Kevin Durant pass Lisa Leslie to become USA Basketball’s all-time leading Olympic scorer, and ended with him winning a fourth gold medal – the most for any men’s basketball player in Olympic history.

LeBron Wins Another Round vs. Father Time: LeBron James not only won his third Olympic gold medal, he was named Tournament MVP after averaging 14.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 8.5 assists and 1.3 steals. His beard may show a few grays, but his game continues to defy age.

Wemby Puts World On Notice: While LeBron is pushing 40, Victor Wembanyama is just 20 years old, but was ready for the moment in the Gold Medal Game, leading France with 26 points and forcing the greatness of Curry to beat them.

His tears following the loss showed how much the game meant to him and what he said afterward put the world on notice.“I’m learning, and I’m worried for the opponents

in a couple of years.” When asked to clarify FIBA or NBA, Wemby responded: “Everywhere.”

Jokic Leads Serbia to Bronze Medal: After pushing the USA to the brink in the semifinals, Serbia defeated Germany to earn the Bronze Medal behind a triple-double from Nikola Jokic (19 pts, 12 reb, 11 ast).

Jokic LeBron: The two not only hold a combined seven NBA MVPs, they also posted just the fourth and fifth triple-doubles in Olympic history in this tournament

5. OLYMPIC ROUNDUP: USA WOMEN GROW DYNASTY WITH 8TH STRAIGHT GOLD 

Dynasty Continues: The USA women edged out France 67-66 to win an eighth straight gold medal – breaking a tie with USA men’s basketball (1936-68) for the longest streak of team golds in Olympic history.

Toughest Test: The USA women entered Sunday’s Gold Medal Game riding a 60-game win streak dating back to the 1992 Bronze Medal Game with an average margin of victory of 27.8 ppgCan’t Get Closer: The one-point win was closest ever in an Olympic Gold Medal Game and marked only the third game decided by single digits during the now 61-game win streak – joining a four-point win over Russia in the 2004 semis and a nine-point win over Nigeria in 2020 group playThe Podium: Joining the USA at the final medal ceremony of the Paris Games were the host country France (silver) and Australia (bronze)The Honors:

A’ja Wilson was named Tournament MVP and led the All-Star Five, joined by USA teammate Breanna Stewart, France’s Gabby Williams (who was also named Best Defensive Player), Australia’s Alanna Smith and Belgium’s Emma Meesseman

Taurasi Stands Alone: When it comes to Olympic gold medals, no basketball player can rival Diana Taurasi’s collection, which now sits at a record six, breaking a tie with friend and former teammate Sue Bird.

The Run: Taurasi’s gold medal streak began in 2004 in Athens and continued to Beijing (2008), London (2012), Rio de Janeiro (2016), Tokyo (2020) and concluded in Paris (2024)Taurasi: “I was with my idols when I was young, I was with my counterparts in the middle. Now I get to see these young superstars growing and I’m just happy to be part of it and they’ll continue the legacy for sure.”USA Multi-Time Medalists: Joining Taurasi with multiple Olympic golds are Stewart and Brittney Griner with three each, Wilson, Napheesa Collier, Chelsea Gray and Jewell Loyd with two each, and Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young getting a 5×5 gold to go with their 3×3 gold from TokyoUSA First-Time Medalists:

Kahleah Copper, Sabrina Ionescu and Alyssa Thomas each won gold in their first Olympics