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How Does The NBA Work And When Does The Season Start?
The 2026-27 National Basketball Association (NBA) season started on Tuesday, 20 October with the Detriot Pistons beating Boston Celtics 121 to 113 points.
The regular season, as well as the in-season NBA Cup, takes place between October and April.
After that, the play-offs take place to determine the NBA champions, who are crowned in June.
What is the format?
Minnesota Timberwolves
Oklahoma City Thunder
Portland Trail Blazers
Utah Jazz
Pacific Division
Golden State Warriors
Los Angeles Clippers
Los Angeles Lakers
Phoenix Suns
Sacramento Kings
Southwest Division
Dallas Mavericks
Houston Rockets
Memphis Grizzlies
New Orleans Pelicans
San Antonio Spurs
What is the NBA Cup and when does it start?
The NBA Cup is an in-season competition where teams compete for a trophy, but some results also count towards the overall season standings.
The event starts on Friday, October 30, with the final taking place on Friday, December 11.
Teams face four teams from their conference and the group winners, as well as the best runner-up from each conference, advance into the quarter-finals.
Like the play-offs, teams only play against opposition in the same conference in the quarter-final and semi-final. Matches are also one-off knockouts, rather than a series.
The winners of each conference will meet in the championship game to determine the NBA Cup winner.
The Knicks are the defending NBA Cup champions, while the first edition in 2023 was won by the Lakers.
Which British players are in the NBA?
The Boston Celtics, who were 2023-24 champions, are the most successful franchise in NBA history, with 18 title wins.
Last seven NBA-winning sides:
2025-26: New York Knicks
2024-25: Oklahoma City Thunder
2023-24: Boston Celtics
2022-23: Denver Nuggets
2021-22: Golden State Warriors
2020-21: Milwaukee Bucks
2019-20: Los Angeles Lakers
2018-19: Toronto Raptors
Credit: Jonty Colman, BBC Sports
