The NBA Cup, the NBA's first experiment with a cup format, returns this Tuesday for its second edition after LeBron James' Los Angeles Lakers were crowned champions in 2023 in Las Vegas, USA.

From November 12 to December 3, the NBA will host a series of matches that will count both for the NBA Cup group stage and for the regular season.

The tournament kicks off this Tuesday with eight matches, including two highly anticipated duels: Philadelphia 76ers vs. New York Knicks and Golden State Warriors vs. Dallas Mavericks, marking Klay Thompson’s return to the Bay Area.

Each team will play four matches in the group stage, two at home and two away, facing each opponent in their group once.

After the group stage, eight franchises will qualify for the single-elimination rounds: the leaders of each group and two additional 'wild card' teams for the best second-place finishers from each conference.

The quarterfinals will be played on December 10 and 11 before the NBA Cup caravan moves to Las Vegas for the semifinals and final, scheduled for December 14 and December 17, respectively.

The Lakers are the defending champions, having won the final against Tyrese Haliburton’s Indiana Pacers in the inaugural NBA Cup last year.

The NBA Cup is an initiative by Adam Silver, the league's commissioner, to revitalize the long 82-game regular season, which often includes many matches with little interest and even less at stake.

To enhance the stakes, a prize money scheme was also organized, so in 2023 each Lakers player pocketed half a million dollars as champions.

Pacers players received $200,000 each, and the players from the Pelicans and the Bucks, who fell in the semifinals, earned $100,000 each.