Who Are The Miami Heat's Biggest Opponents In The NBA Cup?

The Miami Heat kick off NBA Cup play on Friday evening when they host the Indiana Pacers. It has been a rough start to the season for Miami as they have only won one of their first five games.

The NBA Cup is a rather recent addition to the NBA regular season but has been viewed as a relative success. For years, teams have been load managing their star players throughout the regular season to avoid injury and keep legs fresh for playoff appearances but the inclusion of the NBA Cup has incentivized star players to play more during the regular season.

Since the NBA Cup was introduced to the league in 2023, the Miami Heat have had a moderate performance in those games, posting a 7-6 record in group and tournament play. This year, the Heat are a part of Eastern Conference Group B, which is seemingly the most stacked group in the NBA. Miami has had a lackluster start to the regular season and making a deep NBA Cup run will be difficult given the depth of these rosters. Let's take a look at the four teams who Miami will be facing off against in group play, starting tonight:

1. Indiana Pacers

The Pacers were the playoff darlings just a year ago but the franchise took quite a sharp turn after Tyrese Haliburton's injury in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals. He missed all of last season and the team was among the worst in the East standings. Now, Haliburton returned to the team last week but is already on the mend with a hamstring injury that is set to keep him out for two weeks. So far, their regular season record is 2-3. Their all-time NBA Cup record is 7-8.

2. Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cavaliers had quite the offseason, extending James Harden after adding him at last season's deadline and trading for Denver Nuggets forward Peyton Watson while signing him to a contract extension as well. Cleveland's season ended in heartbreak earlier this year when they notably blew a 22-point lead to the New York Knicks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The collapse set the tone for the rest of the series as the Cavaliers went on to be swept. So far this season, it seems they haven't missed a beat as last week, they blew a 29-point lead in their season opener against the Philadelphia 76ers. They're a very talented team but have been characterized by their late game collapses. So far, their regular season record is 3-2. Miami faces off against them at home on Nov. 13. Their all-time NBA Cup record is 7-5.

3. Philadelphia 76ers

The 76ers may have had the most notable offseason of any franchise by swapping Paul George for Jaylen Brown and obviously bringing in LeBron James to finish his iconic career. They also improved their bench mightily by signing Dean Wade, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Anfernee Simons. All their offseason moves have made them one of the top teams in the conference, if not the best, throughout the early part of the season. So far, their regular season record is 4-1. Their all-time NBA Cup record is 5-7. The Heat travel to Philadelphia to face them on Nov. 25, the night before Thanksgiving.

4. New York Knicks

The Knicks are the defending NBA champions after winning their first title since 1973. New York's one big offseason move was replacing Mitchell Robinson, who left for the Boston Celtics, with veteran Andre Drummond as a backup center. So far, the team has struggled out the gate, posting a 2-3 record. However, they have been dominant since NBA Cup play began with an all-time 13-4 record and could continue their strong stretch of play this time around. Miami travels to New York to face them on Nov. 27, the day after Thanksgiving.