The first few games of the NBA season have given us an insightful look into which teams are better or worse than a year ago. One telling metric is defensive rating.

TIEBREAKER BASIS FOR TWO-WAY TIES: TIEBREAKER BASIS FOR MULTI-WAY TIES: Ties for playoff positions (including division winners) will be broken utilizing the criteria set forth in subparagraph a. below (in the case of ties involving two teams) and ...

12. Portland Trail Blazers Projected wins: 35.8 ESPN BET over/under total: 33.5

The 2025 NBA Cup begins on Friday. Don't feel ashamed if you didn't know. It's Halloween, after all. You're probably busy, and the tournament has never started this early. The group stage was a November exclusive in 2023.

The NBA is made up of 30 teams, competing from the fall well into the following spring for a shot at the NBA Playoffs, and the league championship. Those teams are broken up into conferences, which are further broken up into divisions.

In the East, the Philadelphia 76ers have rushed to a strong start, getting immediate contributions from their No. 3 pick, VJ Edgecombe (24.5 PPG), and sixth-year guard Tyrese Maxey, who is leading the league with an average of 37.5 points.

Introduced in the 2023-24 campaign as an in-season tournament, the rebranded NBA Cup offers teams and players an extra shot to lift a trophy along with cash bonuses based on performance.