NBA Cup Schedule: Spurs Notch First 2 National TV Games vs. Lakers, Thunder

The San Antonio Spurs will take on the Los Angeles Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder on national TV to open their 2024 NBA Cup slate before hitting the road for two more games against the Utah Jazz and Phoenix Suns.

Feb 23, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) gets the rebound against Los Angeles Lakers guard D'Angelo Russell (1) during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Last season, the San Antonio Spurs went from four national television games to 19. It was the mark of a new 7-foot-4 French phenom entering the league who, by all accounts, was set to be a star.

In Year 1, Victor Wembanyama proved his talent. He became a vicious rim protector as much as he did a fluid scorer, and while he has plenty of room to improve as his sophomore campaign draws nearer, any accusations of his inability to lead a team have been mooted.

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Chances are, the Silver & Black will be back on prime time this season, especially with Chris Paul joining the fold among other new faces. Tuesday afternoon validated that.

For the second straight season, the NBA will hold its In-Season Tournament, now called the Emirates NBA Cup, beginning Nov. 12 through Dec. 17. All 30 teams were randomly placed into groups of five within their respective conferences.

The Spurs were placed with the Los Angeles Lakers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Utah Jazz and Phoenix Suns, meaning they'll get a chance to take on LeBron James and Anthony Davis — fresh off a gold medal in Paris — followed by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren.

After that, two trips to Utah and Phoenix, where they'll face Lauri Markkanen and Kevin Durant, respectively, to round out their slate.

All four of those dates, times and TV channels are below:

Spurs' 2024 Emirates NBA Cup Schedule (All Times CST):

• Friday, Nov. 15 vs. Lakers (Tipoff 6:30 p.m. on ESPN)
• Tuesday, Nov. 19 vs. Thunder (Tipoff 8:30 p.m. on TNT)
• Tuesday, Nov. 26 at Jazz (Tipoff 8 p.m. on League Pass)
• Tuesday, Dec. 3 at Suns (TIpoff 8 p.m. on League Pass)

Every Tuesday and Friday within the group-play timeframe (Nov. 12 - Dec. 3) will consist only of NBA Cup games as each team works its way around the opponents in its group.

After group play has concluded, the quarterfinals (Dec. 10-11) will be held in-market before the four remaining teams make their way to T-Mobile Center in Las Vegas for the semifinal (Dec. 14) and championship game (Dec. 17).

Only the championship game will be omitted from regular-season standings.

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"It's the beginning of a new tradition in the league, and I'm particularly excited about it," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said last year before the inaugural NBA Cup. "Here's an opportunity to win something that's very significant to the players.

"It's not the Larry O'Brien trophy, (but) I doubt it'll take anything away."

Apr 5, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) reacts to a play against New Orleans Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas (17) and forward Herbert Jones (5) during the first half at Smoothie King Center. / Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

The Spurs went 0-4 in group play last season, dropping games to the Minnesota Timberwolves, Thunder, Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors, sparking intrigue with this year's slate, especially considering it beat all four opponents at least once and the Suns twice.

If Wembanyama and company do manage to make the knockout stage from their group — either as a group winner or a wild-card to round out the West's field of four — he'll be rewarded with a potential trip to Las Vegas.

Visiting "Earth's dystopia" might not be high on the young star's wishlist, but he'd certainly never turn down a chance to compete — $500,000 prize on the line or not.

The 2024 Emirates NBA Cup begins Tuesday, Nov. 12 with the New York Knicks visiting the Philadelphia 76ers in an Eastern Conference Playoffs second-round rematch.

Tipoff for that contest is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Central.