Emirates NBA Cup 2026: West Group C Preview — Teams, Schedule, Odds & Prediction

The final Friday of group play: the Lakers walk into San Antonio, and the winner takes West Group C. That is not a fantasy — it is the actual November 27 schedule, a rematch of last year’s Cup quarterfinal, and quite possibly a win-or-go-home night. Around it sits the most loaded group of the 2026 Emirates NBA Cup: a 62-win Finals team, Luka Dončić’s new-look Lakers, a Portland backcourt with Damian Lillard and Ja Morant, Stephen Curry’s Warriors, and a Kings team playing with house money. Five teams, four games each, one survivor — plus maybe a wild card.

The Short Version

Three Nights That Matter Most

Ten games, but three carry the group. October 30 — Lakers at Warriors (Prime Video) opens the whole tournament: Dončić vs. Curry, the new Lakers against the old dynasty, and an early tone-setter neither side can afford to drop. November 25 — Spurs at Trail Blazers (ESPN) is the group’s only ESPN game and a pure contrast test: San Antonio’s towering defense against Portland’s brand-new Lillard–Morant backcourt. Then November 27 — Lakers at Spurs (Prime Video): last year’s quarterfinal rematch, won 132–119 by San Antonio in Los Angeles, closing out group play with the group potentially on the line.

Regional networks may carry games in-market. The streaming guide for Prime, ESPN and NBC covers every viewing option, and the complete tournament schedule covers the rest of the field.

Why This Is the Group of Death

The label gets thrown around every year. Here it is earned, with numbers: these five teams combined for 216 wins last season. The group holds the 2023 Cup champions (Lakers), the 2025 Cup runners-up (Spurs), and two more former quarterfinalists (Warriors 2024, Kings 2023). Even Sacramento, coming off a 22-win season, added enough new pieces to ambush anyone — and in a four-game group stage, one bad night ends a tournament. See how the other five groups compare and track the live standings once play begins.

Power Tiers: The Five Teams

Forget alphabetical order. Here is how the group actually stacks up — with the coaches folded in, because the sidelines are loaded too.

San Antonio Spurs (62–20, lost NBA Finals 4–1)

The Spurs spent the summer locking in a contender: Victor Wembanyama’s five-year extension near $252 million, De’Aaron Fox running the backcourt, and Tobias Harris plus Luke Kornet joining Castle, Harper and Vassell. They arrive as the team that lost two finals to the same opponent in a single year — 124–113 to the Knicks in the Cup final, then 4–1 in the NBA Finals. In last year’s Cup they went 3–1 in this group, beating the Lakers in the quarterfinals and the Thunder in the semifinals. Head coach Mitch Johnson has former head coach Billy Donovan as his lead assistant. Details: Spurs’ Cup schedule page.

Los Angeles Lakers (53–29, lost conference semifinals 0–4)

The biggest story in the group: after eight seasons, LeBron James left for the 76ers, and the Lakers are now unmistakably Luka Dončić’s team. Austin Reaves re-signed long-term, Walker Kessler arrived via sign-and-trade to anchor the middle, and Quentin Grimes, Collin Sexton, Kevon Looney and Matisse Thybulle round out a remade rotation. Third-year coach JJ Redick has former head coach Nate McMillan as his associate — one of five ex-NBA head coaches assisting in this group. The Lakers won the first-ever Cup in 2023 and went 4–0 in group play last year. Track them: full Lakers Cup schedule.

Portland Trail Blazers (42–40, lost first round 1–4)

Portland crashed last year’s playoffs as the 7-seed and then swung big: Ja Morant arrived from Memphis for Jerami Grant and Kris Murray, pairing him with a returning Damian Lillard (back from an Achilles injury). Deni Avdija, Shaedon Sharpe, Scoot Henderson, Jrue Holiday and rim protector Donovan Clingan give new head coach Micah Nori — first-time head coach, ex-Minnesota lead assistant, flanked by veteran Jay Triano — a long, athletic roster. The Blazers went 2–2 in Cup play last year and have never escaped the group stage. This roster was built to change that.

Golden State Warriors (37–45, missed playoffs)

A strange, transitional year in the Bay: 37 wins, a play-in exit, and now a roster built around Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Kristaps Porziņģis while Jimmy Butler is reportedly expected to miss the start of the season with a knee injury. The Warriors re-signed Green and Porziņģis, added veterans Al Horford and Georges Niang, and let Quinten Post walk to Memphis. Steve Kerr — now with former head coach Frank Vogel as his associate — knows short tournaments: the 2022 title core plus a 2024 Cup quarterfinal means nobody wants Curry in a must-win November game.

Sacramento Kings (22–60, missed playoffs)

The Kings tore it down to the studs: DeMar DeRozan was waived and stretched, Russell Westbrook retired, and Ben Simmons arrived on a minimum deal after missing all of last season. Zach LaVine opted into his $49 million player option, Domantas Sabonis stayed put despite trade rumors, and No. 7 pick Darius Acuff Jr. joins Keegan Murray and De’Andre Hunter under head coach Doug Christie and associate Mike Woodson — another former NBA head coach on a West Group C bench. Sacramento went 0–4 in Cup play last year. The pieces are real, even if the team isn’t proven — LaVine and Sabonis are former All-Stars, Murray keeps improving, and Acuff brings fresh scoring. The question is whether four group games are enough time to become a team.

Full Rosters: Every Player and Position

No other preview publishes this. Complete rosters with positions exactly as listed on the official team pages (G = guard, F = forward, C = center). Head coaches, assistants and trainers follow in a separate table below.

Head Coaches, Assistants and Trainers

The staff behind each bench, exactly as listed on the official team pages.

The Math: How West Group C Is Actually Won

Every Cup game except the final counts in the regular-season standings — which is why stars play hard in November. Each team plays four group games. The group winner advances to the quarterfinals, and one more team per conference goes through as the wild card: the best second-place finisher among the three Western groups.

Ties are settled by head-to-head first, then point differential — total points scored minus allowed across the four group games. That second step is where margins matter. Take San Antonio’s November 6 trip to Sacramento: a 25-point win there banks real insurance. If the Spurs later finish level with the Lakers on record and split their head-to-head, that November margin in Sacramento could be the number that sends them through. The complete tournament rules and format guide covers the full tiebreaker order.

Odds

Championship odds for the five group teams (dated, since lines move):

Reading the numbers: +450 means a $100 bet wins $450 — shorter odds, bigger favorite. The Spurs have the second-shortest odds of any team in the tournament; the Kings are the longest shot on the board. No major sportsbook had posted West Group C group-winner odds as of late September, only championship odds — one offshore book listed San Antonio around −165 with the Lakers next at +500, but treat any group-winner price as partial until the big books open the market.

More Storylines

• Can anyone score on San Antonio? The Spurs were elite defensively last season with the Defensive Player of the Year patrolling the paint. Portland wants to play fast; Golden State wants to play pretty. Neither is easy against Wembanyama.
• The Kings’ spoiler role. Sacramento is expected to finish last, which makes them dangerous — nothing to lose, and LaVine, Sabonis and Murray can each drop 30 on a sleepwalking favorite.
• Butler’s absence. If Jimmy Butler indeed misses the start of the season, Golden State’s margin for error in a four-game sprint shrinks to almost nothing — Curry would need two vintage nights minimum.
• Nori’s first test. Portland’s rookie head coach gets trial by fire: his first four Cup games include road trips to Los Angeles and Sacramento plus a home ESPN date with the Spurs.

West Group C FAQ

For general tournament questions, see the NBA Cup FAQ.

1. Who is in West Group C for the 2026 NBA Cup?
   The San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Lakers, Portland Trail Blazers, Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings.
2. When are the West Group C games?
   October 30 through November 27, 2026, on Cup Nights: October 30, November 6, 13, 20, 24, 25 and 27.
3. Where can I watch?
   Four games on Prime Video, one (Spurs at Trail Blazers, Nov 25) on ESPN, five on NBA League Pass; regional networks may carry games in-market.
4. Who won West Group C last year?
   San Antonio went 3–1 and reached the final, losing 124–113 to the Knicks.
5. How does a team advance?
   Win the group outright, or finish second with the best record among the West’s three runners-up (the wild card). Ties go to head-to-head, then point differential.
6. Who is favored?
   San Antonio — a 62-win season, a Finals run, and by far the shortest championship odds in the group. Group-winner odds weren’t posted by major books as of late September.
7. What is point differential?
   Points scored minus points allowed across the four group games — the tiebreaker after head-to-head.

What Comes After Group Play

• December 4–5: quarterfinals, hosted by the higher-seeded teams
• December 8–9: semifinals, also in team markets — new this year
• December 11: championship at historic Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, the first final ever played outside Las Vegas

Players also compete for Cup prize money, which rises every year under the league’s labor deal.