The Lakers and Clippers will be in the same group for the opening round of the 2025 NBA Cup.
The crosstown rivals were placed in West Group B for the third iteration of the NBA’s In-Season Tournament, the league announced Wednesday, alongside the Memphis Grizzlies, Dallas Mavericks and New Orleans Pelicans.
All 30 teams were randomly drawn into groups of five within their conference based on win-loss records from the 2024-25 regular season.
The Lakers will be the top seed in West Group B and the Clippers will be the No. 2 seed. The Grizzlies will be No. 3 seed, the Mavericks are slotted at No. 4 and the Pelicans will be No. 5.
Group-play games for the 2025 NBA Cup will take place on Fridays from Oct. 31-Nov. 28. Quarterfinal games, to be played at the arena of the higher-seeded team, will take place Tuesday, Dec. 9, and Wednesday, Dec. 10. The semifinals will be played Saturday, Dec. 13, in Las Vegas and the final is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 16, also in Las Vegas.
Each team will play one game against each of the four opponents in its group – two games at home and two on the road.
Eight teams will advance to the quarterfinals: the team with the best standing in group-play games in each of the six groups and one wild-card team from each conference. The wild card will be the team from each conference with the best record in group-play games that finished second in its group.
The Lakers will host the Clippers and Mavericks, and travel to the Grizzlies and Pelicans. The Clippers will host the Grizzlies and Pelicans, and travel to the Mavericks and Lakers.
The game and broadcast schedules for group play will be announced in August.
