West Group C brings the Emirates NBA Cup’s most crowded Western Conference lane to the floor, with the San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers all carrying recent postseason experience into Group Play, which opens Oct. 30. The Lakers arrive with an unbeaten 3-0 start behind Luka Dončić, Portland is 2-0, and San Antonio, Golden State and Sacramento will be chasing ground after uneven opening weeks.
San Antonio sets the standard, but Los Angeles has the early juice
The Spurs are the group’s recent deep-run benchmark. San Antonio reached both the 2025 NBA Cup final and the 2026 NBA Finals, falling to the Knicks in a tightly contested championship series after making its first Finals appearance since 2014. The Spurs were NBA Cup runners-up in 2025, even though Victor Wembanyama missed 12 games with a calf injury before returning for the semifinals.
Los Angeles owns the group’s other Cup pedigree after winning the inaugural tournament in 2023. Both the Lakers and Spurs won their groups last season, and both return with designs on another run.
- San Antonio beat Portland 4-1 in the first round of the 2026 playoffs before its Finals run.
- Portland had snapped a four-season playoff drought and reached the field through the Play-In before losing to the Spurs.
- The Lakers made the Western Conference semifinals, where Oklahoma City swept them.
- Golden State and Sacramento were knocked out in the Play-In and then landed in the Draft Lottery.
- The Kings selected Darius Acuff Jr. at No. 7, while the Warriors took Yaxel Lendeborg at No. 11.
Dončić has given Los Angeles the sharpest opening signal. In his first complete season with the Lakers, he led the club to 53 wins, claimed a second scoring crown and made Kia All-NBA First Team. The Lakers are now operating without LeBron James for the first time since 2017-18, but Dončić is firmly the franchise centerpiece. The roster around him changed, with Walker Kessler and Sandro Mamukelashvili arriving before Austin Reaves re-signed.
The early numbers have only strengthened that feeling. Dončić scored 52 points against Utah on Sunday in his third game of the season; the early-season recap also characterized it as the first 50-point performance of 2026-27. Los Angeles is 3-0, while Portland has opened 2-0. San Antonio sits at 1-2, Golden State is 1-3 and Sacramento is 0-3.
Last season’s group matchups favored the Spurs and Blazers
In regular-season games played among these five clubs last year, San Antonio and Portland each went 10-4. The Lakers finished 8-7, taking care of the Warriors and Kings but losing their season series against both the Spurs and Blazers.
| Team | Record vs. West Group C opponents | Winning percentage |
|---|---|---|
| San Antonio Spurs | 10-4 | .714 |
| Portland Trail Blazers | 10-4 | .714 |
| Los Angeles Lakers | 8-7 | .533 |
| Golden State Warriors | 6-10 | .375 |
| Sacramento Kings | 3-12 | .200 |
The Spurs are bringing back much of last year’s rotation, with Wembanyama again anchoring the operation through his improved offense and high-level rim protection. Their Finals loss remains a hard lesson, but the roster is built to play meaningful games well beyond the Cup window.
Portland, meanwhile, is under its third head coach in less than a year. Chauncey Billups and Tiago Splitter have both moved on, leaving Micah Nori in charge. The Blazers are stocked in the backcourt, where Damian Lillard and Ja Morant are expected to lead a veteran-heavy group if each can approach his previous level.
Golden State remains focused on extending Steph Curry’s title window. Health may decide whether the Warriors can make a significant jump, while Lendeborg enters after earning Summer League MVP honors during Golden State’s Las Vegas title run.
Sacramento needs healthier seasons from Zach LaVine, Keegan Murray and Domantas Sabonis. Doug Christie will be fitting those returners around Acuff, the rookie guard expected to take command of the offense.
Six dates that could shape the group
- Lakers at Warriors — Friday, Oct. 30, 10 p.m. ET, Prime Video: Dončić opens Group Play in the Bay against Curry. Their regular-season head-to-head record is even at 9-9.
- Blazers at Lakers — Friday, Nov. 6, 10 p.m. ET, Prime Video: Dončić and Reaves host Lillard and Morant in a matchup of high-powered guard pairings. Los Angeles is 3-0 and Portland 2-0 entering the first week.
- Warriors at Spurs — Friday, Nov. 13, 9:30 p.m. ET, Prime Video: Golden State split four meetings with San Antonio last year. Curry played only in the two Warriors victories, scoring 46 points with five 3-pointers on Nov. 12 and 49 with nine made 3s on Nov. 14.
- Spurs at Blazers — Wednesday, Nov. 25, 10 p.m. ET, ESPN: The teams meet for the second time this season after a Nov. 7 game, revisiting San Antonio’s 4-1 first-round playoff victory.
- Kings at Warriors — Wednesday, Nov. 25, 10 p.m. ET, League Pass: The Northern California rivals have divided each of their past three regular-season series since their 2023 seven-game playoff matchup, capped by Curry’s 50-point performance in the deciding game.
- Lakers at Spurs — Friday, Nov. 27, 9:30 p.m. ET, Prime Video: Group Play closes with Wembanyama against Dončić, who finished third and fourth in last season’s Kia MVP vote. Dončić owns a 5-1 career edge in their meetings.
Late-night finish is in play
The group should stay compressed into its final night. Los Angeles and Portland have the early momentum, but San Antonio’s postseason profile makes it difficult to write off a 1-2 opening. The Lakers-Spurs game and Warriors-Blazers matchup on the Group Play finale could settle both the group winner and the Wild Card picture.
Dončić’s form gives the Lakers a narrow early edge, particularly with the reworked supporting cast already finding its footing. A Los Angeles win over San Antonio would put the Lakers in position to take West Group C, while the runner-up could still have a path into the knockout round through a Wild Card berth.
