With Group Play of the 2025 Emirates NBA Cup tipping off Oct. 31, we’re breaking down each group as they prepare for opening night, beginning with West Group A.
West Group A features two playoff teams from last season – the NBA champion Thunder and West runner-up Timberwolves – as well as one team eliminated in the Play-In (Kings) and two teams that finished in the draft lottery (Suns and Jazz).
In last year’s NBA Cup, the Thunder were the only one of these five teams to make it out of Group Play as they won their group with a 3-1 record, then defeated the Rockets and Mavs in the single-elimination Knockouts to reach the championship, where they fell to the Bucks.
| TEAMS | OKC | MIN | SAC | PHX | UTA | TOTAL |
| OKC | X | 2-2 | 3-0 | 3-0 | 4-0 | 12-2 (.857) |
| MIN | 2-2 | X | 2-2 | 4-0 | 3-1 | 11-5 (.688) |
| SAC | 0-3 | 2-2 | X | 3-1 | 4-0 | 9-6 (.600) |
| PHX | 0-3 | 0-4 | 1-3 | X | 4-0 | 5-10 (.333) |
| UTA | 0-4 | 1-3 | 0-4 | 0-4 | X | 1-15 (.063) |
When we look at head-to-head matchups from last season between teams in West Group A, the Thunder (12-2), Timberwolves (11-5) and Kings (9-6) all finished with winning records, with Minnesota being the only team to knock off Oklahoma City.
West Group A also features three of last season’s top 10 scorers – OKC’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (career-high 32.7 ppg) won his first scoring title, while Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards (career-high 27.6 ppg) finished fourth, and Phoenix’s Devin Booker (25.6 ppg) finished ninth.
West Group A features the NBA’s two leaders in total points scored from last season in Anthony Edwards and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Teams breakdown
Minnesota Timberwolves: The Wolves enter the 2025-26 season coming off back-to-back runs to the Western Conference Finals, looking to break through to reach the NBA Finals for the first time in team history. They return nearly their entire core from last season, losing only Nickeil Alexander-Walker in free agency.
Oklahoma City Thunder: The Thunder ended last season hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy after winning the first title of the OKC era. However, one trophy they did not capture was the NBA Cup as OKC was defeated by Milwaukee in the championship game. In the offseason, the Thunder resigned their core players as they look to collect more hardware.
Phoenix Suns: The Suns underwent an offseason overhaul with a new general manager, new head coach and a retooled roster around franchise cornerstone Booker, who signed a two-year extension. Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal are out, while Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, Mark Williams and rookie Khaman Maluach are in as the Suns look to rise back to playoff contention.
Sacramento Kings: The Kings look for a fresh start after a tumultuous season that saw changes at head coach, GM and star player with the trade of De’Aaron Fox for Zach LaVine. After back-to-back Play-In exits, the Kings look to get back in the playoff picture with former All-Stars DeMar DeRozan (6x), Domantas Sabonis (3x) and LaVine (2x) as well as recently crowned EuroBasket MVP, Dennis Schröder, on the roster.
Utah Jazz: The Jazz just endured the worst season in franchise history (17-65), as their win total dropped for the fourth consecutive season. The Jazz drafted Ace Bailey with the fifth pick, seeing his talent and upside as a key piece of their rebuild alongside the rest of the young core.
Devin Booker, Jalen Green, and Dillon Brooks lead the new-look Phoenix Suns into West Group A play.
Five games to watch
Jazz at Suns (Friday, Oct. 31, 10 ET, LP): Two of the top 10 selections in the 2025 NBA Draft will meet when No. 5 pick Ace Bailey and the Jazz visit No. 10 pick Khaman Maluach and the Suns in the only West Group A game on the opening night of NBA Cup Group Play on Halloween. Which rookie will make the best first impression in the first two weeks of their NBA career?
Thunder at Kings (Friday, Nov. 7, 10 p.m. ET, LP): Only three teams in the NBA return a pair of top 25 scorers from last season – the Thunder, Kings and Knicks – and two will be in this matchup. The Thunder feature SGA (1st, 32.7 ppg) and Jalen Williams (25th, 21.6 ppg) while the Kings feature LaVine (19th, 23.3 ppg) and DeRozan (21st, 22.2 ppg). With four certified bucket getters sharing the court, expect plenty of offense in the Group Play opener for both teams.
Kings at Timberwolves (Friday, Nov. 14, 8 p.m. ET, LP): Last season, all four games between these teams featured clutch time, with three of the four games decided by four points or less. Both teams feature a top-five clutch scorer from a season ago – Minnesota’s Edwards finished first in total points (157), while Sacramento’s DeRozan finished fifth (132). Which team will come up clutch in Group Play?
Timberwolves at Suns (Friday, Nov. 21, 9 p.m. ET, LP): Entering their first round playoff matchup, Phoenix had gone 13-2 against Minnesota over the previous 15 games, dating back to the 2019-20 season. Since then, the results have flipped. Minnesota swept that 2024 playoff series 4-0, then followed it up by sweeping last year’s regular-season series 4-0, to bring an eight-game win streak in head-to-head games into this Group Play matchup. Can Edwards & Co. keep the streak going or will Booker and the new-look Suns snap it.
Timberwolves at Thunder (Wednesday, Nov. 26, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN): These teams will meet for the first time since the Thunder eliminated the Timberwolves in Western Conference Finals in five games to reach the championship stage while leaving the Wolves one round away for the second straight postseason. The Wolves were one of only four teams (along with the Warriors, Lakers and Mavs) to have a positive point differential (+3) against the Thunder last season and will try to carry that over to Group Play.
Prediction
Oklahoma City edges out Minnesota to win the group.
The Thunder and Timberwolves both enter the 2025-26 season with championship aspirations. While playing for the Larry O’Brien Trophy won’t happen until next June, the Emirates NBA Cup gives an early prize for both to chase.
For Oklahoma City, it is a chance to win the Cup after coming up short in the championship game last season, while also signaling to the rest of the league that there is no championship hangover after winning the 2024-25 NBA title.
For Minnesota, it is a chance to culminate a competition as a champion for the first time as a team, looking for it to be a precursor of what can happen come playoff time next spring.
Having to choose between these two, it’s tough to pick against the Thunder after all that they accomplished last season and the fact that their young core is still on the rise, which means they could be even better in 2025-26.
Keep an eye on Minnesota for a potential wild card spot in the Knockouts as the Wolves try to advance out of Group Play for the first time in the in-season competition’s history.
