Winning the NBA Emirates Cup is becoming a serious point of pride for fanbases, even if some owners are still playing it cool. Honestly, if you watched the 2025 tournament wrap up in Las Vegas this past December, you saw exactly why this mid-season experiment is sticking around. The intensity was higher than your average Tuesday night in November, and the final nba emirates cup standings tell a story of a few powerhouse teams and some very surprising "group of death" survivors.
The New York Knicks walked away with the trophy after a wild comeback against the San Antonio Spurs, but the road to T-Mobile Arena was a total mess for some of the league's biggest favorites.
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The Final Group Stage Standings
The group play stage was basically a sprint. With only four games to decide who moves on, a single bad shooting night can ruin a team's entire tournament run. We saw that happen to the Boston Celtics and the Denver Nuggets, two teams everyone expected to see in the knockout rounds. Instead, we got some fresh faces at the top of the tables.
Eastern Conference Breakdown
East Group A was dominated by the Toronto Raptors, who went a perfect 4-0. It was a statement run for a team that many pundits had written off. The Atlanta Hawks and Cleveland Cavaliers both finished 2-2, but neither could snag a wild card spot because their point differentials weren't high enough to compete with the other groups.
In East Group B, the Orlando Magic proved their defense is the real deal. They swept the group 4-0, leaving the Celtics and Pistons in the dust at 2-2. Seeing the defending champion Celtics get bounced early was probably the biggest shock of the opening round.
East Group C was the real dogfight. The New York Knicks and Miami Heat both finished 3-1. Because the Knicks beat the Heat in their head-to-head matchup, New York took the top spot. However, Miami’s massive +32 point differential was enough to secure them the Eastern Conference Wild Card.
Western Conference Breakdown
West Group A belonged to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder. They went 4-0 and looked absolutely terrifying doing it. The Phoenix Suns managed a 3-1 record, which was just barely enough to sneak them into the knockout stage as the Western Wild Card.
The Los Angeles Lakers continued their weird obsession with being "The Kings of the Cup" by going 4-0 in West Group B. LeBron James and Luka Doncic (who was playing out of his mind for the Lakers this season) made sure the Memphis Grizzlies stayed in second place despite a respectable 3-1 finish.
Finally, West Group C—the "Group of Death"—was won by the San Antonio Spurs. Victor Wembanyama's squad finished 3-1. It was a three-way tie at one point with the Nuggets and Rockets, but the Spurs' clutch win over Denver in the final game of group play pushed them through.
The Knockout Rounds: How the Standings Shifted
Once we hit the quarterfinals on December 9th and 10th, the "standings" transformed into a traditional bracket.
The Magic handled the Heat at home, and the Knicks took care of the Raptors. Over in the West, the Thunder absolutely dismantled the Suns, winning by nearly 50 points. Meanwhile, the Spurs pulled off a massive upset by knocking out the Lakers in Los Angeles.
By the time the teams arrived in Las Vegas for the semifinals on December 13th, the field was down to four:
- New York Knicks
- Orlando Magic
- San Antonio Spurs
- Oklahoma City Thunder
The Knicks outlasted the Magic 132-120 in a high-scoring track meet. On the other side of the bracket, the Spurs narrowly beat the Thunder 111-109 in what many are calling the game of the year.
The Championship and Jalen Brunson's MVP Run
The final standings were etched in stone on December 16, 2025. The Knicks beat the Spurs 124-113.
It wasn't easy. San Antonio actually led by 11 points late in the third quarter. But the Knicks' bench—specifically Jordan Clarkson and Tyler Kolek—came alive. Jalen Brunson was named the tournament MVP, joining LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo as the only players to hold that specific trophy. Brunson wasn't just good in the final; he was the engine for New York through all five wins.
Interestingly, there's been some drama since the win. Knicks owner James Dolan reportedly isn't keen on hanging an "NBA Cup" banner next to the franchise's legendary 1970 and 1973 championship banners. Fans are divided. Some think a trophy is a trophy. Others agree with Dolan that the "real" prize is still the Larry O'Brien.
Why the NBA Emirates Cup Standings Matter for 2026
If you're looking at these results and wondering what they mean for the rest of the season, you have to look at the "cup boost." Historically, teams that perform well in this tournament carry that momentum into the playoffs. The Knicks are currently sitting near the top of the East, and the Spurs' young core has clearly leveled up from the experience of playing in high-stakes games in Vegas.
For those of you tracking the 2026 outlook, keep an eye on these factors:
- Point Differential: It’s the most important tiebreaker. Teams like the Thunder and Knicks stayed aggressive even in blowouts because every point counts in the standings.
- Roster Depth: The Knicks won because their bench outscored the Spurs' bench. In a short tournament, you can't just ride your starters for 48 minutes.
- Health Management: The Bucks missed Giannis during group play and it cost them. Availability is the best ability when you only have four games to qualify.
If you want to stay ahead of the curve for the next tournament cycle, start looking at team performance in "clutch" situations during the regular season. The teams that thrive under pressure in November are usually the ones you'll see at the top of the nba emirates cup standings when December rolls around.
Keep a close watch on the tiebreaker rules as well—many fans were confused why the Suns made it over the Grizzlies. It almost always comes down to that total point differential, so "garbage time" in Cup games is never actually garbage time. Check the official NBA app standings page frequently during the next tournament window to see live updates on "points for" and "points against," as these numbers fluctuate wildly on the final night of group play.