With Group Play of the 2026 Emirates NBA Cup tipping off Oct. 30, we’re breaking down each group as they prepare for Group Play, beginning with East Group A.

The Emirates NBA Cup brings games with elevated stakes into the early portion of the regular season. Three teams in East Group A have recent experience with the ultimate high-stakes contest — Game 7 — that they can draw from as they begin this year’s competition.

Out of the five series that went seven games in the 2026 Playoffs, three included teams in this group — the Pistons, Raptors and Magic — including a head-to-head matchup between Detroit and Orlando in the first round after the Magic survived an elimination SoFi Play-In Tournament game to earn their playoff berth.

While the Pistons earned the No. 1 seed in the East last season, it was the Magic and Raptors that had the most success in last year’s NBA Cup. Both teams went unbeaten in Group Play to advance to the Quarterfinals, with Orlando as the top seed among the four East qualifiers.

The Magic beat the Heat to reach the Semifinals, but the Raptors were knocked off by the Knicks, who would go on to eliminate the Magic in the Semifinals on their way to winning the Cup.

How much will past experience in both the NBA Cup and the NBA Playoffs help these teams over the next six weeks?

When looking at head-to-head matchups from last season between the teams in East Group A, the Pistons, Raptors and Magic stand out with win percentages over .600 against the field, but each took at least one loss to one another.

Detroit is the only team that did not lose a single season series against any other team in the group — splitting with Orlando (2-2) and winning over Toronto (2-1), Milwaukee (3-1) and Brooklyn (3-1).

For Toronto and Orlando, each made a major move in the offseason. The Raptors added 2019 champion Kawhi Leonard, who was a late scratch on Sunday due to left knee swelling. The Magic hired a new head coach in Sean Sweeney, whose first challenge will be navigating a high ankle sprain to Paolo Banchero that will keep him out of the start of Group Play.

Teams breakdown

Detroit Pistons: After posting their first 60-win season in two decades to earn the No. 1 seed in the East, the Pistons saw their season end with a Game 7 home loss to Cleveland in the conference semifinals. Detroit has been on a sharp upward trajectory over the past three seasons — climbing from 14 wins in 2023-24 to 44 in 2024-25 and 60 in 2025-26. Can they keep that momentum going in 2026-27? >>

Toronto Raptors: Seven years after he led the Raptors to their only NBA championship, Leonard is back. And he’s here, once again, to make a good team great. The Raptors took a huge step forward last season. Scottie Barnes became one of the best two-way players in the league and RJ Barrett followed up his most efficient regular season with a terrific playoff series. – John Schuhmann >>

Orlando Magic: The Magic have lost in the first round of the playoffs in each of the past three seasons, and an edict from management stresses better results. That’s why there was a coaching change, and Sweeney now holds the top job on Orlando’s bench. Let’s start with health, though. Next is getting the most out of a roster that features Banchero (an All-Star in 2024), Franz Wagner (on the verge of his first All-Star appearance) and Desmond Bane. – Jeff Zillgitt >>

Milwaukee Bucks: A new era of Bucks basketball begins in the wake of the trade of franchise cornerstone Giannis Antetokounmpo to Miami. The Bucks received a haul of players led by Wisconsin-native Tyler Herro and future draft picks — the foundation of a rebuilding effort that begins under new head coach Taylor Jenkins as the Bucks define their new identity in a post-Giannis world. >>

Brooklyn Nets: After three straight seasons where they lost more games than the year prior, the Nets might finally be ready to take a step forward. Julius Randle will complement Michael Porter Jr. well on offense and raise the overall floor. But the spotlight remains on the Nets’ group of five second-year players that they selected in the first round of the 2025 Draft. – John Schuhman >>

Five games to watch

Magic at Raptors (Friday, Oct. 30, 7:30 p.m. ET, League Pass): Orlando and Toronto both went unbeaten in Group Play a year ago, but one is guaranteed to take a loss in the opening game of Group Play. With Banchero sidelined, focus on the Leonard-Franz Wagner matchup as these teams aim for another undefeated Group Play run.

Raptors at Pistons (Friday, Nov. 20, 7:30 p.m. ET, Prime Video): In his first matchup against the Pistons last season, Leonard dropped a career-high 55 points with 11 rebounds, five steals and three blocks to lead the Clippers to a win. If healthy, how will Leonard fare in his first matchup of the season with Detroit since his return to Toronto?

Pistons at Magic (Tuesday, Nov. 24, 7 p.m. ET, League Pass): Detroit and Orlando face off for the first time since Game 7 of their first-round series on May 3. The Pistons ran away with that game, 116-94 at home, to advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals and end the Magic’s season. Can Orlando avenge that loss in Group Play?

Nets at Bucks (Wednesday, Nov. 25, 8 p.m. ET, League Pass): A matchup of two teams that shook up their rosters in the offseason. The Bucks are now in a post-Giannis era with Herro leading the way in Milwaukee. The Nets added a trio of veterans led by Randle to complement Porter Jr. and Brooklyn’s young talent, including Mikel Brown, Jr., who will face Brayden Burries in a matchup of top-10 picks at guard.

Bucks at Pistons (Friday, Nov. 27, 7:30 p.m. ET, League Pass): The Pistons host the new-look Bucks on the final night of Group Play. This game features a matchup of All-Star guards in Detroit’s Cade Cunningham and Milwaukee’s Herro. In the Group Play finale, the result of this duel can be big in determining clinching scenarios and point differentials should tiebreakers come into play.

Prediction

Orlando is already dealing with an injury to one of its star players with Banchero expected to miss multiple weeks, which could eat up most of Group Play, that puts Detroit and Toronto as the favorites to emerge from East Group A.

While the Pistons are running back a 60-win team from last season (minus Tobias Harris), the Raptors welcomed back Leonard, who, if healthy, should elevate a Toronto squad that finished fifth in the East last season.

Their Nov. 20 matchup should go a long way to determining which team wins the group and which team will battle for a Wild Card spot. While the Pistons have home-court advantage in that contest, it could be an early statement game for the Raptors to show they’re ready to compete with the Eastern Conference contenders.