Entering Thanksgiving week, all 30 teams have at least one of their four group-stage games remaining in Emirates NBA Cup 2025 action. Some have two.
But for the Houston Rockets (10-4 on the 2025-26 regular season, 1-2 in Cup play), elimination appears almost inevitable after Friday’s group-stage loss to the Denver Nuggets.
To explain why, let’s look at the Cup standings entering the week:
After their winning their group in the 2024 NBA Cup, the Rockets have already lost the possibility of doing so in 2025.