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Ladies and gentlemen, the fourth NBA Cup is upon us. It’s the most wonderful time of the year filled with teams running up the score late in fourth-quarter blowouts and wacky courts that don’t look quite right on your television screens.
So, on this day, we answer this question: Who will become the fourth team to hoist the NBA Cup?
Please, dear reader, note this article is not a traditional season-long power rankings you’ll see elsewhere on the internet. We’ll have plenty of that coming your way on SI.com over the next few months. This is simply a list of all 30 teams ranked in terms of who has the best chance to claim the NBA Cup at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Dec. 11. Many important factors were considered here: player injuries, team chemistry, and yes maybe a little bit on how great or awful a team’s NBA Cup court design looks.
Alright, with that behind us, let us begin with the team least likely to win the NBA Cup:
I’m sorry, Kings fans. You guys deserve better. This team has lost games by 8, 11, 12, 25 and 27 points this season. It’s been over 200 days since the victory beam was last lit in Sacramento, and there’s no end in sight. At least Darius Acuff Jr. is fun!
Bucks fans, I hope you’re busy celebrating the Brewers’ World Series title and not thinking at all about the NBA Cup. But if you are, it might bring a smile to your face to know the Bucks have as many wins this season as that team in South Beach.
In case you’re rooting for a Hinkle Fieldhouse homecoming storyline, the Clippers have the only Butler alum currently in the NBA in Jahmyl Telfort, who was on a two-way deal last year and is currently playing for the G League Clippers.
Through five games, the Pelicans have proved one thing: They can beat the Sacramento Kings. Woo!
Things don’t look quite as bleak in Brooklyn despite the Nets’ 0–4 record. They were about to beat the Celtics in overtime until Mikel Brown Jr. had a mental lapse, something he apologized to fans for:
THAT ONE IS ON ME BROOKLYN! IMMA SHAKE BACK I PROMISE YALL DAT💯
— Mikel Brown Jr (@MikelBrownJr1) October 28, 2026
Uh, what exactly happened between coach Charles Lee and Naz Reid on Wednesday night? Lee benched the former Sixth Man of the Year winner for the entire second half. The vibes are off in Charlotte. Credit where credit is due, though, the Hornets have pieced together three wins already. But their offense has been bad without the injured Kon Knueppel and Coby White.
If you’re wondering how the Bulls have lost four of their first five games, the fewest points they’ve allowed in a game is 124 in a loss to the Wizards. Nine of the NBA’s 30 teams haven’t allowed 124 points in a single game yet.
Even after a nice 12-point win over the Hawks on Tuesday, the new-look Heat have a long, long way to go. I think Miami eventually figures it out, but the chance they do so in the next month doesn’t seem likely.
Speaking of contenders who are underperforming, things are not going well in Denver. They Nuggets have two wins this year, both over the Pelicans, and haven’t looked competitive in their other two games. Nikola Jokić said the other night that his team can’t play defense. Maybe Jaden McDaniels was right.
Three games into the season, the Suns own the NBA’s worst defense (124.5 defensive rating). Everyone knows that defense wins in-season championships.
Someone alert Mickey Mouse: The injury bug has hit Orlando. The Magic will be without two of their starters, Paolo Banchero and Jalen Suggs, for a while, making Sean Sweeney’s job more difficult in his first season as a head coach. Keep Donald Duck in bubble wrap over at Disney World.
Utah entered the season with plenty of hype but it just hasn’t come to fruition. Jaren Jackson Jr.’s absence hasn’t helped. I still believe.
AJ Dybantsa’s debut the other night went about as well as it could. I can see Washington getting hot and making a surprise NBA Cup run.
I see you, Yaxel Lendeborg. Maybe Joe Lacob wasn’t wrong about his genius two-timeline plan, he was just early. Light years, baby. O.K., snark aside, I’d love to see Steph Curry drop a “night night” celebration at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Cooper Flagg will be a legitimate superstar by the end of the season. I have no doubt.
The Pacers would’ve been a perfect NBA Cup team with a healthy Tyrese Haliburton. Hopefully they can tread water for a bit and Hali can return before the group stage ends.
The Wolves might have topped this entire list if Anthony Edwards was healthy. Unfortunately, he’s expected to be out until at least January and will miss the entire NBA Cup. Minnesota’s 119–114 loss to Golden State on Wednesday night showed the Pups have plenty to figure out in an Ant-less world.
Good luck scoring on Toronto. Even without Kawhi Leonard, coach Darko Rajaković’s can flat out play some defense.
A couple of tough losses to Houston is nothing to be ashamed about. Nickeil Alexander-Walker is off to a better start to his season than his two-time NBA MVP cousin.
Cleveland might have the best NBA Cup court in the entire league. I mean look at this:
Five games into the year, the Pistons have wiped out all concerns of the bad vibes surrounding the organization this offseason. Unfortunately, they’ll be without the center of those bad vibes (Jalen Duren) for a few NBA Cup games.
The Blazers! One of the NBA’s most fun surprises early this season has been exactly that: A ton of fun. In their win over the Lakers on Tuesday, Los Angeles trimmed the Trail Blazers’ lead to three with two minutes left. Here’s how it went: Ja Morant bucket. Damian Lillard three. Morant six-footer. Lillard step-back three. Just gorgeous basketball. If Portland wins the NBA Cup, owner Tom Dundon has to extend Micah Nori’s contract … right? Right?!
No Jalen Williams. No Cason Wallace. Chet Holmgren and Alex Caruso have already missed time due to injuries. Despite all that, SGA is still SGA, and OKC is still OKC.
The Luka Dončić era in Los Angeles is off to a great start. I’d love to see the Lakers win this tournament to find out if they’d hang a second NBA Cup banner or just add to the one already flying high at Crypto.com Arena.
The Grizzlies are 5–0. I repeat: The Memphis Grizzlies are 5–0. Cameron Boozer is the real deal. On Thursday night, he became the fifth rookie in NBA history to notch a triple-double in the month of October, and the second-youngest player (19 years old, 103 days) in league history to do so.
What’s on the menu in Boston? No beef, just a little lamb chops and gravy. And perhaps a Jayson Tatum buzzer-beater or two.
The Knicks’ win over the Pistons on Tuesday night that snapped an 0–3 start had to hit like a big bottle of Pedialyte after a late night out. A perfect cure for a championship hangover. The Knicks, by the way, are the only team to advance to the knockout bracket in all three years of the NBA Cup.
While the Knicks won the NBA Cup and the Finals last year, the Spurs lost both. Victor Wembanyama is hungry for some hardware. Good news for San Antonio, they are finding their stride after starting the season with losses to Houston and Oklahoma City.
The 76ers have a superteam level of star power, but five games in, Tyrese Maxey has proved he is the guy in Philadelphia. He’ll drop 30 on you and then hours later will be up late changing his baby girl’s diapers and singing “Baby Shark.” Dawg.
My goodness this team is fun to watch right now. The Rockets lead the NBA in three-point percentage (40.4%) and already boast the best defensive highlight of the season—Amen Thompson’s game-winning block of Wemby.
PODCAST 🎧: Listen to SI’s NBA podcast, Open Floor, below or on Apple and . Watch the show on SI’s YouTube channel.
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