No franchise has ever won back-to-back Emirates NBA Cups. The Knicks play four Group Play games this year — Oct. 30 at Philadelphia, Nov. 13 at Indiana, Nov. 25 home vs. Cleveland, and Nov. 27 home vs. Miami, with three of the four on Prime Video — and every one of them is a step toward either breaking that streak or extending it. Below is the schedule in full, the group that stands in the way, and what actually needs to happen in December for New York to get a shot at history.
No Team Has Ever Repeated — the Knicks Are the Test Case
New York’s case for going back-to-back starts with what already happened: a Cup title over San Antonio last season, then a Finals win over that same Spurs team months later — no other franchise has strung the Cup and the Finals together in one season.
Three tournaments, three different champions so far, and none of them has come back to do it twice. Whether that streak holds through this December depends heavily on what New York has to get through first, and the group draw didn’t do them any favors. For the full year-by-year record of every champion and MVP, including last season’s single-vote Brunson finish, the Emirates NBA Cup history guide has the complete breakdown.
New York’s Four Group Play Games
Times are Eastern.
| Date | Opponent | Home / Away | Tip-Off (ET) | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Oct. 30 | at Philadelphia 76ers | Away | 7:30 p.m. | Prime Video |
| Fri, Nov. 13 | at Indiana Pacers | Away | 7:00 p.m. | Prime Video |
| Wed, Nov. 25 | vs. Cleveland Cavaliers | Home | 7:30 p.m. | League Pass / local |
| Fri, Nov. 27 | vs. Miami Heat | Home | 7:00 p.m. | Prime Video |
The road-heavy opening and the back-to-back home closer come from the pot the Knicks were drawn into. The full matchup breakdown shows the pattern across all six groups, and the complete 60-game schedule is useful if a Knicks Cup Night overlaps with another team you’re watching.
East Group B: Who Stands Between the Knicks and a Repeat
New York shares East Group B with the Philadelphia 76ers, Indiana Pacers, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Miami Heat — a group with 212 combined wins from last season, second only to West Group C. The 2026 groups breakdown shows how all six groups compare.
Two names on that list changed a lot over the offseason. Philadelphia added LeBron James and Jaylen Brown; Miami paired Giannis Antetokounmpo with Bam Adebayo. Both are meaningfully different opponents than the ones New York beat on the way to last year’s title — this group isn’t a rerun.
The Four Opponents
| Opponent | 2025-26 Record | Recent Cup Note | Knicks Game |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia 76ers | — | Overhauled roster with two major offseason additions | Oct. 30, away |
| Indiana Pacers | — | Long-running playoff rivalry with New York in recent years | Nov. 13, away |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 52-30 | Swept by the Knicks in the 2026 Eastern Conference Finals | Nov. 25, home |
| Miami Heat | — | Added a new frontcourt pairing over the offseason | Nov. 27, home |
All four are also playing each other, so a Knicks result changes someone else’s group math even on nights New York isn’t playing — worth tracking the group table, not just the Knicks’ own line.
Watching and Attending
Streaming and TV
Prime Video carries three of the four — Oct. 30, Nov. 13, and Nov. 27 — so one subscription covers most of the slate without cable or an ESPN login. Nov. 25 is the outlier: it’s not part of a national window, so it runs on NBA League Pass and New York’s regional broadcast instead, and it’s the one date Prime Video won’t have. If New York advances into the Knockout Rounds, note that every remaining game shifts to Prime Video exclusively — cable and NBC/Peacock aren’t part of that stage at all. Full cost and blackout details are in the streaming guide.
Home Games at Madison Square Garden
Nov. 25 and Nov. 27 both put the Knicks at MSG. The buying process doesn’t change for a Cup date — same seating chart, same box office — but demand tends to run higher for a defending champion hosting two group games than for an ordinary late-November night, and it climbs further if New York is still playing in December. The ticket guide breaks Group Play, Knockout, and Championship pricing out separately.
The Wild Card Math
A group win isn’t the only way through. Because East Group B is the East’s toughest field, a Knicks runner-up finish here can outrank a group-winning record from an easier East group — the exact tiebreaker order lives in the rules and format guide.
| Scenario | Result |
|---|---|
| Philadelphia also finishes 3-1 or worse | Knicks win East Group B outright on tiebreakers — automatic advancement, no wild card needed |
| Philadelphia runs the table at 4-0 | Knicks finish 2nd in-group but enter the conference-wide wild card race against every other East runner-up |
Track exactly where that race stands once games start counting on the live standings page. There’s also money on the line beyond the trophy — the prize money breakdown has the per-round figures — and the destination itself has changed: a New York return to the final would be played at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis rather than the Las Vegas arena that hosted last year’s win.
Three Things That Could Sink the Repeat Bid
- Two group opponents built specifically to beat contenders. Philadelphia and Miami didn’t retool to survive Group Play — they retooled to win in December. Either one is a legitimate threat to knock New York into the wild card race instead of a group win.
- A motivated Cleveland rematch. The Cavaliers were swept by New York in last season’s Eastern Conference Finals. A November regular-season game rarely carries playoff intensity, but a team looking for a measuring-stick win against the team that ended its season is the exception.
- An unforgiving early window. All four Cup games land inside a four-week stretch bracketing the start of the season, leaving little time to iron out any early chemistry issues before results start counting toward group standings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Have the Knicks won the Emirates NBA Cup before, and could they be the first repeat champion?
Yes on the first part — they’re the reigning 2025-26 champion. On the second, it’s possible but unprecedented: the Lakers and Bucks each won once and didn’t repeat, so a Knicks repeat this year would be the tournament’s first.
Why isn’t the Nov. 25 Cleveland game nationally televised?
Only a portion of Group Play games get slotted into national broadcast windows. The other three Knicks dates landed one; Nov. 25 didn’t, which is why it’s carried on League Pass and MSG’s regional feed rather than Prime Video.
Does the Nov. 25 Cavaliers game carry extra meaning?
Some. Cleveland was swept by New York in the 2026 Eastern Conference Finals, so this is the first meeting between the two since that series ended — though it’s still a single Group Play game, not a playoff rematch.
How many Emirates NBA Cup games do the Knicks play in 2026?
Four during Group Play: at Philadelphia (Oct. 30), at Indiana (Nov. 13), home vs. Cleveland (Nov. 25), and home vs. Miami (Nov. 27). Reaching the Knockout Rounds would add at least one more game in December.
What TV channel are the Knicks’ Cup games on?
Prime Video has three: Oct. 30, Nov. 13, and Nov. 27. The Nov. 25 game against Cleveland runs on NBA League Pass and New York’s regional broadcast instead.
Which group are the Knicks in for the 2026 Emirates NBA Cup?
East Group B, with Philadelphia, Indiana, Cleveland, and Miami — second-highest combined win total of the six groups from last season.
Where would the Knicks play if they reach the 2026 Championship?
Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Dec. 11. See the Hinkle Fieldhouse guide for why the NBA moved it there.
The Oct. 30 opener at Philadelphia is the first real look at whether last year’s group carries over into this one, and the Nov. 27 finale against Miami’s new frontcourt closes Group Play with the most riding on it. Tracking a different contender through West Group C at the same time? The Lakers’ 2026 Cup schedule covers that side. For tournament basics that go beyond any one team, the Emirates NBA Cup FAQ has the format, naming, and history from the ground up.
Check Live ScoresDates, times, and TV assignments reflect the NBA’s official 2026 Group Play release and were current as of publication. Broadcast details and records can shift as the season plays out — check official NBA and team sources close to game day.