The Athletic has live coverage of the 2025 NBA Cup semifinals.
The table is set along the Las Vegas Strip, and the hand definitely looks playable. This year’s NBA Cup final four features the defending champions, the league’s biggest market and a pair of ascending competitors.
The in-season NBA tournament makes its third annual trip to Las Vegas, where it will crown another tourney champion. LeBron James led his Los Angeles Lakers to the inaugural title in 2023. Giannis Antetokounmpo carried his Milwaukee Bucks to last year’s jackpot. Now, a deck of present questions shuffle to the front:
Can the Orlando Magic win beneath flashing lights with disciplined, no-frills defense? Would the New York Knicks throw a parade if they deliver a trophy (of any kind) for their long-suffering fans? Are the San Antonio Spurs lined up for a momentous Victor Wembanyama return? And is all of this irrelevant in the shadow of a Terminator-style Oklahoma City Thunder?
Saturday’s two winners stay in Vegas to play the NBA Cup finale on Tuesday. Time for those at the table to ante up and take home the money.
NBA Cup semifinals TV guide
Watching in person? Get tickets on StubHub.
Venue: T-Mobile Arena — Las Vegas
GameTime (ET)TVStream
Knicks vs. Magic
5:30 p.m., Sat.
Prime Video
Prime Video
Thunder vs. Spurs
9 p.m., Sat.
Prime Video
Prime Video
New York Knicks vs. Orlando Magic
The Knicks booked their cross-country Vegas trip after a big win out of the country. On Tuesday, they cruised past the Toronto Raptors 117-101, off the strength of a dominant second quarter (plus-21). Jalen Brunson balled out from the opening tip, and his 26 points at intermission were his most of any half this season. Karl-Anthony Towns led all rebounders with 16. Each member of the “Wingstop” trio (Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby and Josh Hart) had two steals.
New head coach Mike Brown has the outside-in scoring punch landing with high efficiency. As of Friday, the Knicks rank No. 2 in offensive rating and No. 5 in turnover percentage. The whole rotation can shoot. The offensive glass stays clean with a streak-free shine. But the nexus is still Brunson, who twitches around the perimeter and then turns switches to jet fuel.
So, the Knicks get buckets. That’s no concern to Jamahl Mosley’s Magic, who have molded a consistent identity around size and stops. Orlando pulls up to the semifinal stage with the fifth-rated defense and the third-highest defensive rebounding rate. It already has two wins against New York in three early-season meetings, and it’s held Brunson to just 5-of-20 shooting beyond the arc so far. Franz Wagner is out with a high ankle sprain, but Paolo Banchero can anchor the interior with smoothness as Desmond Bane heats up from long range:
DB3 🔥
22 points in 25 minutes for Desmond Bane https://t.co/yGQEeQHpkc pic.twitter.com/p4OxGU5HuW
— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) December 10, 2025
The new Magician put the rabbit in the hat and the ball in the hoop Tuesday. He knocked out the in-state Miami Heat with 37 points (14-of-24 from the field, 6-of-9 on treys). New York’s wings must be on high alert and full tilt this Saturday.
The best player to wear both jerseys: Patrick Ewing or Tracy McGrady. Both are Hall of Famers, so it’s just a matter of taste.
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. San Antonio Spurs
What more is there to pen on OKC? Mark Daigneault’s defending champs are 24-1 amid a 16-game win streak. They’re claiming these games by an average margin of 17.5 points. The NBA’s single-season record is in sight; this Thunder crew seems even more automated than those 2015-16 Golden State Warriors. To reach the semifinal, incumbent MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dropped 28 points in less than 27 minutes on Wednesday. The Cup favorites beat the Phoenix Suns by 49 (!).
The house always wins, but San Antonio can pull this off if its 7-foot-4 superstar returns at center as expected. Wembanyama has been on the bench since Nov. 14 due to a calf strain. He worked out in Wednesday’s pregame warmups before the Spurs topped the Los Angeles Lakers 132-119. Wembanyama is a singularity when healthy, but his teammates are 9-3 on their own.
In that Wednesday knockout win against a tough Lake Show, De’Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle combined for 50 backcourt points. Fox is a pace-setting blur with a strong first step; Castle, last season’s Rookie of the Year, has bumped his shooting percentage up from 42.8 to an even 50. The ceiling is cavernous for 21-year-old Castle, and that goes double for Dylan Harper, the second overall draft pick who’s already grooving off the bench at the age of 19.
SMOOTH OPERATOR 🔥
📺 NBA on Prime pic.twitter.com/z5GFFbaNnv
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) December 11, 2025
The best player to wear both jerseys: Chris Paul. It would be Dale Ellis by total franchise win shares, but back in his day, the Thunder were known as the Seattle SuperSonics.
Updated NBA Cup odds
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