NBA Cup Opens With 10-Game Group Play Slate on Friday

What changed

Friday’s NBA Cup Group Play slate has 10 games on the schedule, and NBA.com has published a preview built around 10 things to watch.

Related coverage includes five predictions for the 2026 NBA Cup and positive injury news for the Chicago Bulls before their opener against the Boston Celtics.

Why it matters

The immediate story is volume. Ten Group Play games make Friday a crowded checkpoint in the tournament, with several early judgments arriving at once: which teams handle the schedule, which predictions begin to look clever, and whether Chicago’s injury update changes the shape of its opener.

The Bulls-Celtics game also carries a clean storyline because the injury news arrives before the tournament begins for Chicago. The specific injury details, games, players and predictions have not been provided, so the useful takeaway for now is narrower: Friday is the first major NBA Cup slate to watch, and the tournament’s early picture could shift quickly once all 10 games are played.