The Oklahoma City Thunder enter the 2026 NBA Cup as the early favorites on Polymarket, one of our best prediction market apps. Their combination of star power and depth has positioned them at the top of the NBA Cup market.
The Philadelphia 76ers and San Antonio Spurs are close behind, giving the Thunder plenty of competition in what could be a wide-open race for the NBA Cup.
With the NBA season approaching, we're taking an early look at the latest Emirates NBA Cup odds, along with the tournament schedule and groups for the upcoming season.
2026 NBA Cup odds
For help understanding probabilities, see our odds calculator.
| Team |  |
|---|---|
 Oklahoma City Thunder |
20% |
 San Antonio Spurs |
17% |
 Philadelphia 76ers |
13% |
 New York Knicks |
13% |
 Toronto Raptors |
9% |
 Boston Celtics |
7% |
 Minnesota Timberwolves |
7% |
 Detroit Pistons |
7% |
 Denver Nuggets |
5% |
 Los Angeles Lakers |
5% |
Odds last updated on 9-27. Odds from Polymarket. Use our Polymarket promo code (COVERS) for a $25 trading bonus when you deposit at least $10 as a new user.
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2026 NBA Cup odds favorites
Oklahoma City Thunder
From a group-stage perspective, Oklahoma City couldn't have asked for a much more favorable path. The Minnesota Timberwolves present the biggest challenge, particularly with LaMelo Ball joining the roster, but the Timberwolves will be looking to find their identity early.San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs reached the NBA Cup Final last season before falling to the New York Knicks, ironically the same outcome we saw in the NBA Finals. Since then, their young core has gained another year of valuable experience on the biggest stages, while the offseason addition of Tobias Harris has given San Antonio even more veteran depth.Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia is a team I'd be hesitant to target in this market, particularly early in the season while the roster works through its growing pains. With the bigger goal of making a deep playoff run, the Sixers could prioritize keeping LeBron James and Joel Embiid fresh rather than maximizing their workloads in the NBA Cup.
With the tournament spread across the first few months of the season, Philadelphia has little incentive to push its stars when the ultimate priority is being healthy for the NBA Playoffs.
NBA Cup groups
The league's 30 teams will all compete in randomly drawn groups for the opening round, divided by conference, as listed below:
| East Group A | East Group B | East Group C |
|---|---|---|
| DET (0-0) |
NYK (0-0) |
BOS (0-0) |
| TOR (0-0) |
 CLE(0-0) |
 ATL(0-0) |
 ORL(0-0) |
PHI (0-0) |
 CHA(0-0) |
 MIL(0-0) |
 MIA(0-0) |
 CHI(0-0) |
 BKN(0-0) |
 IND(0-0) |
 WAS(0-0) |
| West Group A | West Group B | West Group C |
|---|---|---|
| DEN (0-0) |
OKC (0-0) |
SAS (0-0) |
 HOU(0-0) |
MIN (0-0) |
LAL (0-0) |
 PHO(0-0) |
 LAC(0-0) |
 POR(0-0) |
 DAL(0-0) |
 NOP(0-0) |
 GSW(0-0) |
 UTAH(0-0) |
 MEM(0-0) |
 SAC(0-0) |
🥇: Group winner
🥈: Wild Card
NBA Cup explained
Group Play
Each team will begin the tournament in one of six groups, divided by conference and randomly drawn from tiers based on the previous season's record, to ensure relative competitive balance.
Within each group, all teams will play regular-season games against each other on designated Tournament Nights from October 31 to November 28: Every Friday and also Tuesday, November 25, and Wednesday, November 26.
The records in those games determine who advances to the Knockout Round.
Knockout Round
The Knockout Round is comprised of eight teams, which begins on December 9-10:
- The winners of each of the six groups
- A wild-card team from each conference (the second-place team with the best record)
The Knockout Round is a single-elimination bracket. Teams in each conference with the best record will get home-court advantage in these matchups.
The semifinals and finals take place at Hinkle Fieldhouse on December 13 and 16, with the winner of each conference facing off for the NBA Cup.
Teams that make the knockout round will be awarded portions of an as-of-yet undisclosed prize pool, increasing the further they make it. A Tournament MVP and All-Tournament Team will also be awarded after play has concluded.
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Understanding NBA Cup odds
Sportsbooks will post odds for the NBA Cup during the prior offseason. These odds are adjusted throughout the season as players switch teams, show steady improvement, or are injured. Sportsbooks will also adjust the NBA odds based on handle and liability to certain teams.
NBA Cup odds will usually look like this:
- Los Angeles Lakers +1,300
This means that on a $100 bet, you'll stand to win $1,300 if the Lakers win the tournament. If it's close to the end of the tournament and the NBA has a particularly dominant team, you might see a minus sign (-) ahead of its odds.
- Denver Nuggets -180
This means you have to bet $180 to win $100 on a Nuggets tournament win.
Above, we have listed the American odds. However, these are easy to convert to decimal odds or fractional odds with our odds converter tool. And don't forget to check out our NBA forum if you're interested in chatting with other basketball bettors about NBA odds.
