Source: ESPN NBA
NBA Cup projections 2025: Group breakdowns, quarterfinal teams – ESPNSkip to main contentSkip to navigation<>NBA Cup: Let’s project group favorites and the teams fighting for a wild-card spotWashington Wizards4dKevin PeltonWay-too-early NBA All-Star predictions: Which new faces will we see in L.A.?Washington Wizards3hKevin Pelton’I didn’t even know he was a gambler’: How the Blazers and NBA are grappling with Chauncey Billups’ stunning downfallPortland Trail Blazers4dRamona ShelburneHoop Collective Q&A: What are the next steps in the NBA’s gambling investigations?Miami Heat5dTim Bontemps and Brian WindhorstRisers and fallers: Trade for Jaylen Brown, trade away Austin Reaves3dSteve AlexanderplayWhy Evan Cohen agrees with Michael Jordan’s ‘load management’ criticism (2:21)The “Unsportsmanlike” crew analyzes Michael Jordan’s criticism of “load management.” (2:21)Kevin PeltonOct 30, 2025, 07:00 AM ETCloseCo-author, Pro Basketball Prospectus seriesFormerly a consultant with the Indiana PacersDeveloped WARP rating andSCHOENE systemFollow on XEmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsFriday isn’t just Halloween. It also marks the opening day of the2025 Emirates NBA Cupas the league’s in-season tournament kicks off its third iteration.Thus far, the Cup’s single-elimination bracket has yielded tricks for favorites and treats to underdogs. Although the eventual NBA championOklahoma City Thunderreached last year’s final in Las Vegas, neither of the first two winners (theLos Angeles Lakersin 2023 andMilwaukee Bucksin 2024) won more than a single game the next postseason, indicative of how differentthe NBA Cup sprintis from the playoff marathon.All of that is to say: Predicting the NBA Cup is a spooky proposition. Still, we look at which teams are best positioned with the help of projections usingESPN’s Basketball Power Index (BPI), which accounts for team health and player ability.For all six NBA Cup groups, we’ve used BPI to identify a favorite to advance, plus other contenders with an eye on how the wild-card spots in each conference might shake out. Let’s look at who has the best chance to advance to Vegas in December.Jump to a group:East Group A(ATL, CLE, IND, TOR, WAS)East Group B(BKN, BOS, DET, ORL, PHI)East Group C(CHA, CHI, NYK, MIA, MIL)West Group A(MIN, OKC, PHX, SAC, UTAH)West Group B(DAL, NO, MEM, LAC, LAL)West Group C(DEN, GSW, HOU, POR, SAS)Note: All odds in this story are as of Wednesday morning.East Group AGroup favorite:Cleveland Cavaliers(55%)Contender:Atlanta Hawks(24%)Lurking:Toronto Raptors(11%),Indiana Pacers(7%),Washington Wizards(3%)This top-heavy group is the most likely to fill the East’s wild-card spot. That’s partially because teams get the benefit of facing the Wizards, who rank last in BPI, as well as the Pacers, the 2023 runner-up, whohave been hard by injuries.Indiana played Wednesday without a whooping eight players due to injuries, including the top four guards from the team’s full-strength roster (Tyrese Haliburton,Bennedict Mathur…
Published: 2025-11-03T05:56:16
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