Dallas Basketball

Dallas Mavericks' Emirates NBA Cup schedule announced

The NBA has announced the Emirates NBA Cup schedule that involves the Dallas Mavericks.
Keenan Womack|
Mar 31, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd looks on during the first quarter against the Brooklyn Nets at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Mar 31, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd looks on during the first quarter against the Brooklyn Nets at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

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Dallas Mavericks

For the last several years, the NBA has been trying new ways of getting fans involved in the regular season. 82 matchups can be overwhelming for the casual viewer, so to combat early-season fatigue, the league implemented a few new strategies to attract viewers to games during the NFL and college football regular seasons.

One of these promotions is the Emirates NBA Cup, an in-season tournament introduced during the 2023-24 season following a sponsorship deal with Emirates Airlines. The tournament puts all 30 NBA teams into six five-team groups, starting with Group Play, and the NBA just announced the full schedule on Wednesday.

READ MORE: Mavericks GM makes surprising appearance with Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh Steelers

What is the Emirates NBA Cup format?

The first stage features four games – two home, two away – and for the Dallas Mavericks this season, the following matchups will occur.

• 11/7/25 – at Memphis Grizzlies
• 11/14/25 – vs LA Clippers
• 11/21/25 – vs New Orleans Pelicans
• 11/28/25 – at LA Lakers

These games, which count towards regular-season standings, will all happen during November.

How the Later Rounds Work

The winner of each group, plus the best second-place team, advance to the "knockout" round, which proceeds the quarterfinals. The final of the tournament is held in Las Vegas, with the winners receiving $500,000 per player as an added bonus to their salary.

Teams in Dallas' Group

The four other teams in West Group B are the LA Lakers, the LA Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, and New Orleans Pelicans.

• LA Lakers – The intrigue is obvious. Luka Doncic and LeBron James versus Anthony Davis and Cooper Flagg will define this matchup, as Kyrie Irving will still be rehabbing his knee at this point.

• LA Clippers – A budding rivalry has developed with the Clippers since the Luka Doncic days, but it remains to be seen whether that same passion will exist between the two franchises as Dallas moves into the Cooper Flagg era.

• Memphis Grizzlies – Memphis (mercifully) ended the Mavericks' miserable 2024-25 season in the Play-In Tournament last summer. After moving Desmond Bane in the offseason, the new-look Grizzlies will look to continue to build around Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr.

• New Orleans Pelicans – The Pelicans have had trouble over the last few years, but added two exciting draft prospects in Jeremiah Fears (Oklahoma) and Derik Queen (Maryland). They will be young, but will look to compete in the Western Conference despite their struggles recently.

READ MORE: Teammate of Luka Doncic strangely calls out Mavericks' Jason Kidd

Overall Reaction

Though Dallas will be in an adjustment period, this is one of the more winnable groups overall. The Lakers and Clippers will be tough, but the Mavericks should be able to handle Memphis and certainly handle New Orleans. If they can win some of these games, it could give them confidence going forward, especially for when Kyrie Irving makes his return in late January or early February.

READ MORE: Lakers hiring former Mavericks award-winning coach, teaming up with Luka Doncic again

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Keenan Womack
KEENAN WOMACK

Keenan Womack is a sportswriter native to Dallas, Texas, who has spent the last 12 years in Austin, the home of his alma mater, the University of Texas. Keenan has covered sports for SB Nation, Bleacher Report, Rivals/Orangebloods, a host of his own sites and now, Fan Nation. Focusing on basketball, Keenan was on the beat for the Longhorns hoops team for the last two-and-a-half years before moving on to pursue other opportunities. He is married and lives with his wife close to the Moody Center, so they can continue to catch games together.

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