Over in the Eastern Conference, the Raptors and Magic cruised to 4–0 records to win Group A and Group B, respectively. The Knicks won Group C with a 118–109 win over the Bucks on Friday, and Miami clinched the wild card with both the Pistons and Cavaliers losing.

Before group play begins, a group play draw took place on Wednesday, July 9. Each team was placed into a "pot" based on its record from the prior regular season (2024-25). In each conference, one team from each pot was randomly selected into each of the three groups in that conference.

This ought to be a classic matchup of strength against strength: the Knicks’ potent offense, led by point guard Jalen Brunson, against the Raptors’ stingy defense. New York has missed forward OG Anunoby, one of the league’s most versatile defenders, who has been sidelined since Nov. 14 because of a strained left hamstring.

The beginning of the 2025-26 NBA season has featured a ton of exciting basketball so far (for most fan bases, at least).

By the time the final buzzer sounds on Friday night, we will know the eight teams advancing to the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup, the bracket-style knockout round stage of the tournament.

The first week of the 2025-26 NBA season is through and, already, there’s no shortage of compelling story lines at work.