The groups were announced for the Emirates NBA Cup 2025 this week, and the Nuggets were dealt some tough luck, being drawn with the Rockets, Warriors, Spurs, and Trail Blazers in West Group B.
The groups are set for the Emirates NBA Cup 2025.
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) July 9, 2025
All 30 NBA teams were randomly drawn into groups of five within their conference based on win-loss records from the 2024-25 regular season.
The groups are available below. pic.twitter.com/ZZVUwtp3fO
Granted, the Western Conference is loaded, and every group is going to be extremely competitive, but this one is the toughest. The Rockets and Nuggets currently have the second and third-best odds to win the West, with the Warriors not far behind and the Spurs lurking just beyond them.
There are also no easy wins in this group as the Blazers have added Jrue Holiday to an already stout defense and look to make a significant leap this season. Add that to Denver having to battle with a Rockets team that just added Kevin Durant, a Warriors team with Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler, and a Spurs team that’s getting Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox back from injuries, and every single game of this group is going to be a battle.
NBA Cup could be nice measuring stick for Nuggets
The NBA Cup still hasn’t exactly caught on in the way the league has hoped, but it’s still very young. This is only the third season of the new tournament, and while it has some flaws, it has also led to some highly competitive early-season games with real stakes.
Some teams have taken this event seriously, and it is a great opportunity for teams to play do-or-die basketball games in the early stages of the regular season. Knowing that the Nuggets have championship aspirations and several new faces on the roster, these tournament games are a great chance for coach Davi Adelman to test out some different lineups and rotations in something close to a playoff setting.
Obviously, winning the Cup isn’t everything, and Adelman needs to prioritize the playoffs, but it’s a long season, and there’s no reason not to play with a little extra gusto in these games.
NBA Cup format refresher
Now in its third season, the Emirates NBA Cup sees the 30 NBA teams drawn into 6 groups of 5 teams within each conference. Each team plays the other four teams in their group once during group play. The winner of each group and one wild card from each conference make the quarterfinals.
The quarterfinals are single-elimination games with the final four teams advancing to the semifinals in Las Vegas. The semis and final are both single-elimination games as well, with the winner hoisting the trophy. The first two winners of the NBA Cup were the Lakers in 2023 and the Bucks in 2024.