The Emirates NBA Cup 2025 groups are officially set for both conferences.
As you all know, it has been a yearly tradition since the 2023 introduction of the NBA's in-season tournament, now branded as the Emirates NBA Cup. The inaugural champions were the Los Angeles Lakers, followed by the Milwaukee Bucks last year, and who knows which team will emerge to hoist the cup this year.
I won't sit here and act delusional. I think, since the Raptors have found themselves thrust into these NBA Cup conversations, that many pundits and even fans didn't believe they had much of a shot to win it all — maybe, at the very least, they thought they could advance to the next stage of the bracket.
In the introductory year of 2023, the Raptors were part of East Group C, which included opposition like the Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls, and Orlando Magic; all rival squads that Toronto was no stranger to being matched up against. That year, they'd win one game and lose three, finishing fourth in their group.
Last year, Toronto was part of East Group B, along with teams like the Milwaukee Bucks, Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat, and Detroit Pistons. I remember seeing those teams and thinking maybe the Raptors had a chance to shock some folks, but alas, the results proved the same in the 2024 incarnation, as Toronto finished with a 1-3 record — once again good for fourth in their group.
We now know who the Raptors will find themselves opposing in the Emirates NBA Cup 2025, as they have been drawn into East Group A, alongside last year's East champs (and subsequent Eastern Conference champs), Indiana Pacers. This completes the cycle of all three different group letterings.
Raptors' randomly drawn group for Emirates NBA Cup 2025 revealed
The official group layouts (for both conferences) are as follows:
- East Group A: Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers, Atlanta Hawks, Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards
- East Group B: Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic, Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers
- East Group C: New York Knicks, Milwaukee Bucks (defending champions), Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, Charlotte Hornets
- West Group A: Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves, Sacramento Kings, Phoenix Suns, Utah Jazz
- West Group B: Los Angeles Lakers (2023 champions), Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Dallas Mavericks, New Orleans Pelicans
- West Group C: Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors, Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs