ESPN rates all five teams in East Group B as contenders to win the conference, and the Philadelphia 76ers drew every one of them in the 2026 NBA Cup schedule. That is the backdrop for a 76ers team rebuilt around LeBron James and Jaylen Brown, and for a schedule that is easy to misread: two games on Prime Video, one on ESPN, one with no national window, and tip-off times quoted almost everywhere in Eastern time only.
Fans tend to land on the same questions: which dates, what time in their own city, what channel, and what the four games mean for the rest of the season. Philadelphia opens Friday, Oct. 30 at home against the Knicks and closes Friday, Nov. 27 at Indiana, with a Cleveland trip and a Thanksgiving Eve date with the Heat in between.
The Four Dates
Prime Video
Prime Video
ESPN
No national window
Red tiles are home games and gold tiles are road games.
Oct. 30 to Dec. 11: The Sixers’ Cup Season in Order
Philadelphia plays on four of the seven Cup Nights in Group Play. Red dots mark its games, grey dots mark the nights it sits out, and gold marks the Knockout Rounds.
- Fri., Oct. 30 · Cup game 1Knicks at 76ers, 7:30 p.m. ET on Prime Video.
- Fri., Nov. 6 · Cup game 276ers at Cavaliers, 7:30 p.m. ET on Prime Video.
- Fri., Nov. 13 and Nov. 20 · Off nightsCup Nights without Philadelphia. The rest of East Group B plays on both dates, and the full Group Play schedule lists every one of those games.
- Wed., Nov. 25 · Cup game 3Heat at 76ers, 5 p.m. ET on ESPN. It opens a Thanksgiving Eve tripleheader, and Spurs at Trail Blazers closes it (the Spurs’ Cup schedule covers that one).
- Fri., Nov. 27 · Cup game 476ers at Pacers, 7:30 p.m. ET. Heat at Knicks tips a half hour earlier on Prime Video.
- Dec. 4-11 · Knockout RoundsOnly for the eight teams that advance. What each round pays is laid out in the Emirates NBA Cup prize money breakdown.
Three Storylines Behind the Four Games
LeBron’s Reunion Tour
Two of the four games run through LeBron James’ past, and ESPN counts both the Cavaliers and Heat games as reunions. In Cleveland on Nov. 6, NBA.com notes James is 20-6 against the Cavaliers, including 9-4 at Rocket Arena, where he has averaged 29.6 points, 8.5 rebounds and 6.9 assists as a visitor. On Nov. 25 he faces the Heat at home in Philadelphia, a game NBA.com frames as a meeting of two Play-In teams from last season that added star power.
A meeting with his old team is possible only on the last night. The Lakers play in the West and Philadelphia in the East, so the two could meet only in the Dec. 11 final, and the Lakers’ 2026 Cup schedule shows how they get there. Philadelphia itself is still waiting on a first appearance in a Cup championship game, a record kept in the Emirates NBA Cup champions and MVPs history.
The Knicks Open the Door, at Home
Philadelphia’s Cup begins against the reigning NBA champions, in front of its own crowd. A win on Oct. 30 would hand the 76ers the head-to-head edge over the group’s most likely winner, which matters if a tie develops at the top. New York’s own path through the group is laid out in the Knicks’ 2026 Cup schedule.
A Finale Without a National Network
NBA.com lists 15 national Group Play games, and Philadelphia at Indiana on Nov. 27 is not one of them. It runs on local TV and League Pass while the Heat and Knicks play on Prime Video a half hour earlier, so the last two Group B results may land almost together. Indiana was 19-63 last season, the weakest record in the group by a wide margin.
How East Group B Lines Up by Last Year’s Record
| East Finish | Team | 2025-26 Record | Meeting With Philadelphia |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3rd | New York Knicks | 53-29 | Oct. 30, home |
| 4th | Cleveland Cavaliers | 52-30 | Nov. 6, away |
| 7th | Philadelphia 76ers | 45-37 | — |
| 10th | Miami Heat | 43-39 | Nov. 25, home |
| 14th | Indiana Pacers | 19-63 | Nov. 27, away |
Two opponents finished ahead of Philadelphia last season and two finished behind it, which makes the draw balanced on paper even though all five teams enter the year as contenders. The 2026 groups breakdown shows how this group compares with the other five.
A Tie Is Likely: How It Would Play Out
With four games each, a tie at the top of East Group B is close to certain. Picture the 76ers, Knicks and Cavaliers all finishing 3-1. Philadelphia beat New York, lost at Cleveland, and beat Miami and Indiana. The Knicks lost only to Philadelphia, and the Cavaliers lost only to New York. Among those three teams, each is 1-1, so head-to-head cannot split them and point differential decides it. A comfortable win in Indiana on Nov. 27 would count for more than a one-point escape in Cleveland.
Game-Day Playbook
Your Clock, Not Philadelphia’s
| Zone | Oct. 30 | Nov. 6 | Nov. 25 | Nov. 27 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern | 7:30 p.m. | 7:30 p.m. | 5:00 p.m. | 7:30 p.m. |
| Central | 6:30 p.m. | 6:30 p.m. | 4:00 p.m. | 6:30 p.m. |
| Mountain | 5:30 p.m. | 5:30 p.m. | 3:00 p.m. | 5:30 p.m. |
| Pacific | 4:30 p.m. | 4:30 p.m. | 2:00 p.m. | 4:30 p.m. |
| Channel | Prime Video | Prime Video | ESPN | Local / League Pass |
| Site | Philadelphia | Cleveland | Philadelphia | Indianapolis |
The Nov. 25 tip is a weekday afternoon for most of the country, which is worth knowing before planning to watch live.
Watch
- Oct. 30 and Nov. 6 need Prime Video, and Nov. 25 needs ESPN.
- Only Nov. 27 runs on the 76ers’ local broadcast and NBA League Pass. Confirm the exact channel on the team’s schedule page closer to the date.
- Costs, apps and setup for each service are covered in the Emirates NBA Cup streaming guide.
Attend
- Home dates are Friday night, Oct. 30 (Knicks) and Wednesday, Nov. 25 at 5 p.m. (Heat), the day before Thanksgiving.
- According to the team’s Society 76 FAQ, full-season members get every regular-season home game, Cup games included. Half-season members should check which dates their plan covers.
- Society 76 members see games that are still undetermined listed as TBD in the account manager until the date, time and opponent are set.
Follow
- Save the four dates with tip-off times in your own zone before Oct. 30.
- Save only the four dates in the tiles for Group Play, and mark Nov. 13 and Nov. 20 as nights Philadelphia is off.
Fan Questions, Sorted by When You Will Ask Them
Before Oct. 30
When do the 76ers play their first NBA Cup game in 2026?
Friday, Oct. 30, at home against the New York Knicks. Tip-off is 7:30 p.m. ET on Prime Video.
On Game Nights
What channel is the 76ers vs. Heat game on?
ESPN, Wednesday, Nov. 25, at 5 p.m. ET.
Is the 76ers vs. Pacers game on national TV?
No. NBA.com’s list of 15 national Group Play games does not include it, so local TV or NBA League Pass is the way to watch on Nov. 27.
When does LeBron James play in Cleveland?
Friday, Nov. 6, at 7:30 p.m. ET on Prime Video, his first game there since joining the 76ers.
Reaching the Knockouts
Are the 76ers out of the Cup if they lose to the Knicks on Oct. 30?
No. Four games leave room for a loss, and the best second-place team in the East also advances. A loss would give New York the head-to-head edge if the two teams finish tied.
The Oct. 30 tip-off is the first real look at this roster against a contender, and the Nov. 27 finale in Indianapolis could settle the rest. The Emirates NBA Cup FAQ covers the tournament’s naming and backstory for anyone new to the event.
Dates, times and TV assignments reflect NBA.com’s official Group Play and 2026-27 schedule releases as of Sept. 30, 2026. The league can adjust times and broadcasts, so confirm close to game day.