Toronto Raptors NBA Cup Schedule: Full List of games revealed

The Toronto Raptors are likely not winning the NBA Championship this season, and are a significant longshot just to make the playoffs. The NBA Cup, however, is a different story.

The NBA's newest addition to its schedule enters its second season this year, and the Raptors will have a shot at going deep in the bracket given the brief group stage and the single-elimination bracket to follow. Last season, the Indiana Pacers went all the way to the title game before losing to LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers; both teams won just 47 games for the season, hardly a true contender, but they made it all the way in the NBA Cup.

Rebranded and with a corporate sponsor, the NBA Cup will kick off in November this year, and the complete schedule is now available. What exactly is the NBA Cup, and who will the Raptors have to take down to make a deep run this year?

What is the NBA Cup?

The NBA Cup had its inaugural season last year, originally branded as the "In-Season Tournament." Teams had custom courts and often alternate jerseys and competed in specific games on Tuesdays and Fridays in November that dictated a team's success in the tournament. The event is back this year, with essentially the same format, but a new name: The NBA Cup.

Teams were grouped into six groups of five (three for each conference) based on their performance last year, and teams will play each of the other four teams once. The best team from each group, plus one wild card team from each conference, will advance to the quarterfinals. From there, it's a single-elimination bracket until the championship game, when the best team in each conference faces off in Las Vegas.

Except for the title game, each game of the NBA Cup counts toward the regular season standings, and teams that don't advance to the knockout stage will be scheduled two additional regular season games, one home and one away.

2024 NBA Cup Schedule

The full schedule for the 2024 NBA Cup was released on Tuesday, and it included all four group stage games for the Toronto Raptors. The Raps are in Group B and will be competing with the Detroit Pistons, Miami Heat, Indiana Pacers and Milwaukee Bucks.

• Tuesday, Nov 12: Raptors @ Bucks, 8:00 PM ET
• Friday, Nov 15: Raptors vs Pistons, 7:00 PM ET
• Friday, Nov 29: Raptors @ Heat, 8:00 PM ET
• Tuesday, Dec 3: Raptors vs Pacers, 7:30 PM ET

What happens if the Raptors advance?

If the Toronto Raptors either win Group B or finish as the best second-place team in the Eastern Conference they will advance to the single-elimination knockout round. They will face off against an East team in both the quarterfinals (which will take place on either December 10th or 11th) and then another East team in the semifinals in Las Vegas (Dec 14). Win that game, and they play the winning team from the West.

When is the 2024 NBA Cup championship?

The 2024 NBA Cup championship will be on Tuesday, Dec. 17 in Las Vegas at T-Mobile Arena. Perhaps Scottie Barnes and the Raptors can crash the party and be there at the end.