Rockets learn five-team group for 2024-25 NBA in-season tournament

The Rockets will compete with the Timberwolves, Trail Blazers, Kings, and Clippers in the NBA’s second in-season tournament this fall.

This fall, the NBA will play the second annual edition of the in-season tournament that it introduced a year ago. Each season, six five-team groups — three groups per conference — play a round-robin format. The winners of each group, along with one wild-card from each conference, advance to the eight-team knockout round.

Now known as the Emirates NBA Cup 2024, this season’s event tips off on Nov. 12 in team markets and culminate with the semifinals (Dec. 14) and championship (Dec. 17) taking place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.  The full schedule will be released in August.

On Friday, the Houston Rockets learned that they will be grouped with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles Clippers, Sacramento Kings, and Portland Trail Blazers as part of Group A in the Western Conference. Each group has teams from the top, middle, and bottom of that conference, based on the 2023-24 standings.

In the recently completed 2023-24 regular season, the Timberwolves were 56-26, while Portland was 21-61. The Rockets (41-41), Kings (46-36), and Clippers (51-31) were in the middle.

Groups for all NBA teams can be viewed below.

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