Dallas avoided the toughest possible draw and now has a clear chance to build early-season momentum under Dusty May in the Emirates NBA Cup.
The Emirates NBA Cup returns for its third edition this fall and the Dallas Mavericks now know their path through group play. The draw placed Dallas in a group that gives this team a real opportunity to make a run at the tournament for the first time since the 2024 edition.
Houston is the team to beat in this group. Kevin Durant finished his first Rockets season averaging 25.9 points per game as Houston went 52-30 and made the playoffs as the fifth seed. Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson give the Rockets a deep roster that will push Dallas in group play.
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Denver is still Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, two players who perform when the games matter. The Nuggets made the playoffs last season before losing to Minnesota in six games and bring real firepower even with a new coaching staff.
Phoenix outperformed expectations at 43-35 and made the play-in after trading Durant to Houston the summer before. Devin Booker remains one of the most reliable scorers in the Western Conference and the Suns have enough talent to steal a group-play win.
Utah went 22-60 last season but drafted Darryn Peterson second overall, adding him to a young core of Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr., Keyonte George and Ace Bailey. The Jazz will be motivated to show Peterson’s arrival means something.
The past two draws were far more difficult. In 2024, Dallas landed in West Group C alongside Denver, Golden State, New Orleans and Memphis, a group widely called the Group of Death. The Mavericks went 3-1 but were eliminated in the quarterfinals by Oklahoma City after advancing as the wild card.
In 2025, West Group B included Luka Doncic’s Lakers, the Clippers and the Grizzlies. Dallas went 1-3 and was knocked out in group play.
Group play tips off Oct. 30 and runs every Friday through Nov. 27, with additional Cup Nights on Nov. 24 and 25. The quarterfinals are Dec. 4 and 5, the semifinals are Dec. 8 and 9 and the championship is Dec. 11 at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Dallas has a real chance to advance deep in this tournament. The group is competitive, the timing gives the roster a chance to build chemistry and be battle-tested early in the season and Dusty May now has a competitive setting to see what his system looks like against legitimate NBA competition.
