The Western Conference's 15 team field has been divided into three five-team groups for the 2026 Emirates NBA Cup — Group A, Group B and Group C — with each group comprising a four-game round robin matchup that counts 100 percent toward regular-season points and determines which team(s) move on to the knockout round.
Looking for details about who's on your team's side, the West field's strength or how to get out of group play? Here's all the details.
In one line: Group A (Nuggets, Rockets, Suns, Mavericks, Jazz) will face group B (Thunder, Timberwolves, Clippers, Pelicans, Grizzlies) and Group C (Spurs, Lakers, Trail Blazers, Warriors, Kings) on the West side, with the group play set to run from October 30 to November 27. Below, you will find information covering the teams in each group, how the teams were seeded, and how things will be handled once the group play is concluded.
| Group | Teams |
| West Group A | Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, Utah Jazz |
| West Group B | Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves, LA Clippers, New Orleans Pelicans, Memphis Grizzlies |
| West Group C | San Antonio Spurs, LA Lakers, Portland Trail Blazers, Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings |
The NBA does not set up each conference's groups by hand, they are set up by a draw instead. The league's 15 teams are split into five groups of three, and one team from each group is randomly selected for each of the three groups, which will all have at least one team from every seeding level—from someone who is likely to make the playoffs through to a rebuilding team.
That's why Oklahoma City (the West's No. 1 seed from last season) is in Group B instead of having to share a group with Denver or San Antonio — the draw was done to try to distribute the top seeds across the three groups.
Denver is the group's No. 3 (in last season's West poll), while Houston is the most obvious secondary threat. The Nuggets-Rockets head-to-head matchup means the four Game A results could determine the group in that four-team group with Phoenix, Dallas and Utah rounding out the lower seeds.
Oklahoma City will start the season as the No. 1 seed in the West on paper in Group B. Minnesota (No. 6) is the most likely to make the call, with the Clippers, Pelicans and Grizzlies all having a shot to play for the wild-card spot in the conference, depending on how the other teams split up early.
The Lakers (No. 4) is the other seeded team in Group C, and San Antonio is the No. 2 overall seed in the West. The Lakers and Warriors' rosters are close enough to each other that neither can be classified as Group A, and Portland and Golden State and Sacramento round out the field, making Group C the most volatile of the three West groups.
The West groups will hold a round robin — every team will play each of its four group opponents twice (one at home, one away) in the October 30–November 27 period. The three winners of each of the West groups enter the knockout round automatically, along with one wild card: the highest point from the top spot in the group play among all the non-group winners in all three West groups.
Group standings shall be based on group-play record, point differential in group games (omitting overtime), group points in group games, and then on previous-season record, and then on a draw if still tied.
Group play for all 3 West groups has the same 4 week window as the East – Oct 30 to Nov 27 2026 and the same 7 Cup Nights for all groups – Oct 30, Nov 6, Nov 13, Nov 20, Nov 24-25, Nov 27. Finals will take place December 4-5, semifinals Dec. 8-9 and the championship will cap December 11 at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Four group games per-team is a veritable snapshot, and we need to be impressed by each one of them. Filipino bettors have a licensed sportsbook to wager the West group race from start to finish, and that is Sports OKBet.
The West field is split into three groups, each with a real chance of landing one of the wild cards until the final Cup Night on Nov. 27. Follow the live standings of the West group as the four games are completed and, if betting on the race, then using a platform that is licensed for Philippine betting. Check real-time Emirates NBA Cup odds from group stage to the knockout stages with Sports OKBet.
Group A: Nuggets, Rockets, Suns, Mavericks, Jazz. Group B: Thunder, Timberwolves, Clippers, Pelicans, and Grizzlies. Group C: Spurs, Lakers, Trail Blazers, Warriors, and Kings.
The process is a random draw seeded by the prior-season record of the 15 teams in the conference; one team from each tier of the seeding group is chosen by conference lottery for each group, meaning that each group is a mix of teams rather than a hand-picked matchup sheet.
Four — the first three teams in each of the three West groups, plus one wild card, from the top three teams in the group play who did not finish in the top three in their group (first team in group is wild card).
No. This is a within-conference matchup, a cross-conference matchup can only occur if the two conference champions face each other in the Cup final.
The same time range as the East groups, October 30th – November 27th, 2026.
