Two questions come up every time the Lakers get mentioned alongside the Emirates NBA Cup: when do they actually play, and can a person actually watch every one of those games without juggling four different apps? Most coverage answers half of that — a quick list of opponents with no times, or a paragraph of backstory before the schedule ever shows up. Below is the complete answer: every confirmed Lakers Group Play date, tip-off time, opponent, and TV channel, checked directly against the NBA’s own official announcement, plus the context that actually matters — who’s in their group, how tough the road is, and what has to happen for the Lakers to keep this year’s Cup run going past November.
The Lakers play four Emirates NBA Cup Group Play games in 2026: at Golden State (Oct. 30), home vs. Portland (Nov. 6), home vs. Sacramento (Nov. 20), and at San Antonio (Nov. 27). Three of the four air on Prime Video; the Nov. 20 game against the Kings is not on national TV. They’re grouped with the Spurs, Warriors, Trail Blazers, and Kings in West Group C — widely considered the toughest of this year’s six groups.
Lakers’ 2026 Emirates NBA Cup Schedule at a Glance
Times below are Eastern and Pacific, matched directly against the league’s official Group Play release.
| Date | Opponent | Home / Away | Tip-Off (ET) | Tip-Off (PT) | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Oct. 30 | at Golden State Warriors | Away | 10:00 p.m. | 7:00 p.m. | Prime Video |
| Fri, Nov. 6 | vs. Portland Trail Blazers | Home | 10:00 p.m. | 7:00 p.m. | Prime Video |
| Fri, Nov. 20 | vs. Sacramento Kings | Home | 10:00 p.m. | 7:00 p.m. | League Pass / local |
| Fri, Nov. 27 | at San Antonio Spurs | Away | 9:30 p.m. | 6:30 p.m. | Prime Video |
Two home games, two road games, fixed by the pot the Lakers were drawn into. The full home-and-away matchup breakdown shows the pattern for every group, and the complete Group Play schedule lays out all 60 games by date, in case a Cup Night lines up with another team you follow.
Lakers Landed in West Group C — the Toughest Group in the 2026 Cup
The Lakers ended up in West Group C alongside the San Antonio Spurs, Golden State Warriors, Portland Trail Blazers, and Sacramento Kings — a group with 216 combined wins from last season, more than any of the other five groups. The 2026 groups breakdown shows how all six groups compare.
What makes West Group C specifically tough for the Lakers is who’s sitting at the top of it. The Spurs finished 62-20 last season, went all the way to the 2025-26 Emirates NBA Cup final, and then reached the actual NBA Finals that same year. That’s not a soft group opponent — it’s the team the Lakers have to get through twice a season just to have a normal Tuesday.
The Lakers’ Four Group Play Opponents
| Opponent | 2025-26 Record | Recent Cup Note | Lakers Game |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Antonio Spurs | 62-20 | 2025-26 Cup runner-up; reached the NBA Finals the same season | Nov. 27, away |
| Golden State Warriors | — | Perennial group threat, capable of beating anybody on a given night | Oct. 30, away |
| Portland Trail Blazers | — | Pacific Division rival, first Cup meeting of the season | Nov. 6, home |
| Sacramento Kings | — | Division rival; the Lakers’ only non-nationally-televised Cup game | Nov. 20, home |
Every opponent above is also playing its own four-game slate against the same four West Group C rivals, so a loss for one team in the group is automatically a win for one of the Lakers’ own group rivals — worth keeping an eye on all season, not just on Lakers game nights.
How to Watch Every Lakers Emirates NBA Cup Game
Prime Video has three of the Lakers’ four dates covered — Oct. 30, Nov. 6, and Nov. 27 — so most of the schedule needs nothing beyond that one subscription. The Nov. 20 Kings game is the only one that requires NBA League Pass or the Lakers’ regional feed instead. See the complete streaming guide for costs and how the blackouts work across all four services.
Lakers Home Cup Games: Tickets at Crypto.com Arena
Two of the four games above — Nov. 6 against Portland and Nov. 20 against Sacramento — are home games at Crypto.com Arena. Group Play tickets are priced and sold the same way as any other Lakers home game; there’s no special “Cup surcharge” built into the ticket itself, even though the court and jerseys look different that night. If the Lakers keep winning into December, ticket demand and pricing shift noticeably once Knockout Round and Championship stakes enter the picture — the full ticket guide breaks down pricing and buying channels stage by stage, from a routine Group Play seat all the way up to a Championship ticket.
The Lakers’ Emirates NBA Cup History
The Lakers are the tournament’s first-ever champion, back in 2023-24 — though LeBron James, that team’s Cup MVP, is no longer on the roster, having moved to Philadelphia this offseason. That’s part of why this year’s group is being treated as a real test rather than a formality: a retooled Lakers roster is chasing its first Cup title since that run, in a group that also holds the reigning runner-up. For the full year-by-year record of every champion, MVP, and All-Tournament selection, the Emirates NBA Cup history guide has the complete breakdown.
Lakers’ Path to the 2026 Knockout Rounds
Winning West Group C isn’t the only way in — a strong runner-up finish can still earn the wild card. A 3-1 record that finishes second behind the Spurs could outweigh a 3-1 record that wins one of the softer groups, since the wild card race compares second-place teams against each other, not against their own groupmates. See how the wild card race is shaping up, and the tiebreaker rules behind it.
There’s real money attached to getting through, too — every player on a team that reaches the Knockout Rounds shares in a per-round prize pool that grows the further a team advances, on top of the trophy itself. The prize money breakdown has the exact per-round figures. And if the Lakers make it all the way, the Championship isn’t in Las Vegas this year — it’s at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, a much smaller, historic venue than the arena that hosted all three previous finals.
Picture the Lakers going 3-1 in Group Play, with their one loss coming against the Spurs. If San Antonio wins the group outright at 4-0, the Lakers’ 3-1 record puts them in second place — not automatically through, but now in the wild card race against the second-place finishers from West Group A and West Group B. If neither of those teams also went 3-1, the Lakers’ group-of-death résumé becomes their argument for the wild card spot, even without winning their own group. That’s the practical value of landing in a tough group: a strong runner-up finish there can outweigh a group win somewhere easier.
Common Mistakes Fans Make With the Lakers’ Cup Schedule
- Mixing up ET and PT. Every Lakers Cup game tips off at 10:00 p.m. Eastern except the Nov. 27 Spurs game at 9:30 p.m. ET — for a Los Angeles-based fan, that’s 7:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Pacific. Double-check which time zone a schedule is using before setting a reminder.
- Assuming every early-season Lakers game is a Cup game. Only the four dates in the table above count toward Group Play. The rest of the Lakers’ October and November schedule is made up of ordinary regular-season games — they just don’t carry the Cup’s painted court or branding.
- Assuming League Pass covers every Lakers game. It only carries the Nov. 20 game against Sacramento — the three Prime Video dates, and every Knockout Round game if the Lakers advance, are Prime Video exclusives. See the streaming guide for how the blackouts work.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Emirates NBA Cup games do the Lakers play in 2026?
Four Group Play games: at Golden State (Oct. 30), home vs. Portland (Nov. 6), home vs. Sacramento (Nov. 20), and at San Antonio (Nov. 27). If the Lakers advance to the Knockout Rounds, they’d play at least one more game in December.
What TV channel are the Lakers’ NBA Cup games on?
Three of the four are on Prime Video: Oct. 30, Nov. 6, and Nov. 27. The Nov. 20 game against Sacramento isn’t nationally televised and airs on NBA League Pass and the Lakers’ regional broadcast instead.
Which group are the Lakers in for the 2026 Emirates NBA Cup?
West Group C, along with the San Antonio Spurs, Golden State Warriors, Portland Trail Blazers, and Sacramento Kings — the group with the highest combined win total from last season of any of the six groups.
Have the Lakers won the Emirates NBA Cup before?
Yes. The Lakers were the tournament’s first-ever champion, beating the Indiana Pacers 123-109 in the 2023-24 championship game, with LeBron James winning the first Cup MVP award.
Can the Lakers still make the Knockout Rounds if they don’t win West Group C?
Yes, through the wild card. The best second-place team in each conference — based on overall Group Play record, not just performance within its own group — earns an extra spot in the eight-team Knockout bracket.
Where would the Lakers play if they reach the 2026 Championship?
Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Dec. 11. See the Hinkle Fieldhouse guide for why the NBA picked it.
Group Play tips off Oct. 30 and the Lakers’ path through West Group C is one of the more interesting ones to follow all season. Live scores, the countdown to the next Cup Night, and this year’s full standings update in real time on the NBA Cup Live homepage.
Check Live ScoresSchedule details reflect the NBA’s official 2026 Emirates NBA Cup Group Play announcement. Game times, TV assignments, and win-loss records are subject to change or update as the season progresses — check official NBA and team channels for the latest confirmation before making plans. For general questions about how the tournament works beyond the Lakers’ own schedule, the Emirates NBA Cup FAQ covers the format, naming, and history from the ground up.