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, continuing with West Group C.
When comparing the six groups in the 2025 Emirates NBA Cup, no single group averaged more regular-season wins (44), had a smaller gap in regular-season wins between its top and bottom teams (16), or had a smaller gap in head-to-head wins between its top and bottom teams (4) last season than West Group C.
The group features three 2024 Playoff teams – the 2-seed Rockets, the 4-seed Nuggets and the 7-seed Warriors – along with two lottery teams in the Blazers and Spurs that finished 12th and 13th, respectively, in the conference last season.
This group also features two teams that won their respective groups in last year’s NBA Cup – the Warriors and Rockets, who met in the quarterfinals. Houston prevailed to reach the semifinals, where they were eliminated by the West champion Thunder.
| TEAMS | GSW | SAS | DEN | HOU | POR | TOTAL |
| GSW | x | 1-2 | 1-2 | 3-2 | 3-0 | 8-6 (.571) |
| SAS | 2-1 | x | 2-1 | 1-3 | 3-1 | 8-6 (.571) |
| DEN | 2-1 | 1-2 | x | 2-1 | 2-2 | 7-6 (.538) |
| HOU | 2-3 | 3-1 | 1-2 | x | 2-1 | 8-7 (.533) |
| POR | 0-3 | 1-3 | 2-2 | 1-2 | x | 4-10 (.286) |
When looking at head-to-head matchups from last season between teams in West Group C, the first thing that jumps out is the parity between the teams. The four-win difference between the most wins in the group (a three-way tie with eight) and the fewest wins (four) is the smallest of any group in the 2025 NBA Cup.
How evenly matched is this group? Four teams finished with a win percentage between .533 and .571, with every team in the group suffering at least six losses to the other teams in this group last season.
What does this all mean? It means that West Group C is arguably the deepest and most balanced group in the field, which should make its Group Play round as exciting as it will be unpredictable.
Teams breakdown
Denver Nuggets: The first full season under head coach David Adelman features a deep Denver squad built around three-time MVP Nikola Jokić. With the arrival of veterans like Cam Johnson, Bruce Brown, Jonas Valančiūnas and Tim Hardaway, are the Nuggets ready to get back into title contention after back-to-back West semis exits?
Golden State Warriors: After acquiring Jimmy Butler III at the trade deadline, the Warriors went 22-5 down the stretch when Butler III and Steph Curry shared the court. Following a second-round playoff exit, the Warriors are set to begin their first full season with the Butler-Curry-Green trio as they try to build off last year’s run to the West Semis by getting back into the title picture.
Houston Rockets: The Rockets finished second in the ultra-competitive West last season, but were unable to translate that regular-season success to the playoffs, as Houston was eliminated in the first round by Golden State in seven games. Looking to shake things up after their unexpected early exit, the Rockets acquired Kevin Durant from Phoenix in the first-ever seven-team trade in NBA history. Is Durant the key to unlocking the potential of this young Rockets team?
Portland Trail Blazers: The Blazers made a 15-win leap last season, but still fell three games shy of qualifying for the SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament. In the offseason, the Blazers brought two esteemed veterans into the mix – two-time NBA champion guard Jrue Holiday and former Blazer Damian Lillard (who will miss the season with an Achilles injury) – in hopes of making another jump in the standings this season and contend for a postseason berth.
San Antonio Spurs: Despite missing Victor Wembanyama following the All-Star break with a deep vein thrombosis diagnosis in his shoulder, the Spurs still made a 12-win improvement in their first year under new coach Mitch Johnson. With Wemby back and healthy, can the Spurs pick up where they left off and put themselves back in the playoff picture for the first time since 2018-19? Already touting the last two Kia Rookies of the Year winners in Wemby (2024) and Stephon Castle (2025), can No. 2 pick Dylan Harper make it three in a row?
Five games to watch
Rockets at Spurs (Friday, Nov. 7, 7:30 p.m. ET, Prime): The Texas squads meet for the first time this season in the Group Play opener for both teams. In addition to seeing how Durant will impact the Rockets early in the season, this is a must-see matchup of two multi-talented bigs in San Antonio’s Wembanyama and Houston’s Alperen Sengun.
Warriors at Nuggets (Friday, Nov. 7, 10 p.m. ET, Prime): A clash between the 2022 and 2023 NBA champions, with both teams looking to make another title run in 2026. Since the Warriors eliminated the Nuggets in the first round on their way to the 2022 title, Denver has won nine of the last 10 meetings with Nikola Jokić averaging a 30-point triple-double (30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, 10.0 assists).
Warriors at Spurs (Friday, Nov. 14, 9:30 p.m. ET, Prime): Two of the league’s top defenders meet in Group Play. Golden State’s Draymond Green is a nine-time All-Defensive Team selection and former Defensive Player of the Year known for his combination of versatility and intensity as the 6-foot-6 anchor of the Warriors defense. San Antonio’s Wembanyama possesses a blend of size (7-foot-5), quickness and range that makes him an elite rim protector and a player that can guard on the wing. While separated by nearly a foot in height, both players leave their mark on defense.
Nuggets at Rockets (Friday, Nov. 21, 9:30 p.m. ET, Prime): A clash between two of the top four finishers in the West last season, with the Nuggets clinching the 4-seed by defeating the Rockets on the final day of the regular season. The matchups to watch are Jokić vs. Sengun – two players that balance scoring and playmaking from the center position – and Amen Thompson vs. Durant. How will the All-Defensive First Team pick fare against the eighth leading scorer of all time?
Rockets at Warriors (Wednesday, Nov. 26, 10 p.m. ET, ESPN): As Durant looks to help the Rockets break through into the championship realm, he returns to the Bay Area, where he won two titles and two Finals MVPs. This is the final Group Play game for both teams, which not only ups the stakes for winning, but also for point differential should it be needed to break ties.
Prediction
I don’t see any team running away with this group. I suspect each team will take at least one loss and that determining the group winner may come down to point differential on the final night of Group Play.
Forced to make a choice, I’ll go with the Rockets to make an early statement by winning their group for the second straight year as they try to build on last year’s run to the NBA Cup semifinals.
The question that remains is whether or not a wild card could emerge from this group. If this group is as competitive as I believe it will be, that could hurt their chances of having the wild card, simply by not being able to top the wins or point differential of teams from other groups.
