NEW YORK — The Knicks’ defense of their NBA Cup title will not come easily.

As the 2026-27 schedule continues to roll out, the NBA on Wednesday unveiled the group play matchups for its in-season tournament.

And the Knicks’ group is absolutely loaded with contenders.

The Knicks are part of an East Group B that also includes the Philadelphia 76ers, Indiana Pacers, Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat.

That means the Knicks will play each of those teams between Oct. 30 and Nov. 27 as part of their regular-season schedule, with those games also counting toward the NBA Cup standings.

Eight teams — the winners of the six groups, plus a wild card in each conference — advance to the single-elimination knockout rounds.

This will be the fourth year of the NBA Cup tournament, which the Knicks won the first time last December with a victory over the San Antonio Spurs in the final in Las Vegas.

This year’s final is set to take place at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Dec. 11.

The Knicks are scheduled to open NBA Cup group play against the Sixers in Philadelphia on Oct. 30.

That will be the Knicks’ second time facing the new-look 76ers, who added LeBron James and Jaylen Brown during a franchise-altering offseason. The NBA previously announced the Knicks would open the season against the Sixers at Madison Square Garden — and receive their championship rings — on Oct. 20.

The Knicks’ second NBA Cup game is scheduled for Nov. 13 in Indiana, where they will face a Pacers team that should be much improved from last year’s 19-63 finish.

That’s because star point guard Tyrese Haliburton is set to return from the Achilles tear he suffered in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals, which cost him all of last season.

The Knicks’ first home game of the NBA Cup will be against the Cavs on Nov. 25. That will mark a rematch of the Eastern Conference finals, which the Knicks swept against Donovan Mitchell-led Cleveland.

And the Knicks are set to wrap up the group stage with a Nov. 27 home game against the Heat, who added two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo in a blockbuster trade with the Milwaukee Bucks this summer.

The NBA is set to release its full schedule on Thursday afternoon, though a few prime-time games have already been announced.

In addition to the aforementioned dates, the Knicks are set to host the Spurs on Christmas Day in an NBA Finals rematch.

They are also scheduled to host the Minnesota Timberwolves — Karl-Anthony Towns’ former team — on Martin Luther King Day on Jan. 18.

©2026 New York Daily News. Visit nydailynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.