The 2025 NBA Cup quarterfinals are set, with some intriguing matchups scheduled for Dec. 9 and Dec. 10.
What should fans expect?
Allow us to preview the knockout rounds.
What’s at stake? Money, and a lot of it. Each player on a team that loses in the quarterfinals will receive $53,093. Each player on a team that loses in the semifinals will win $106,187. Each player on the runner-up team will earn $212,373. And each player for the NBA Cup champions will earn $530,933. (Any players on two-way contracts will receive half of those amounts.)
Keep in mind that the quarterfinals and semifinals count toward teams’ regular-season records.
The semifinal games will take place on Dec. 13 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The championship game is scheduled for Dec. 16, also at T-Mobile Arena.
Tuesday, Dec. 9
Miami Heat at Orlando Magic
When: 6 p.m. ET. Where: Kia Center.
These franchises have met only once in the playoffs, with the Heat winning a 1997 first-round playoff series over the Magic 3-2. So, this is a roundabout opportunity for the Magic to exact a bit of revenge against their more accomplished in-state rivals.
The teams opened their regular seasons against each other on Oct. 22, with Orlando defeating Miami 125-121 at Kia Center behind 24 points apiece from Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner and 23 points from Desmond Bane. With guard Tyler Herro recovering from ankle surgery, Norman Powell led the Heat with 28 points.
Expect this to be a fast-paced game. Under coach Erik Spoelstra, the Heat have fundamentally changed the way they play, going from one of the league’s slowest-paced teams last season to its fastest-paced team this season. The Magic are also playing faster, emphasizing opportunities in transition off defensive stops (and sometimes off opponents’ made baskets). Banchero has been sidelined since Nov. 12 with a groin strain, and when he does return, the Magic will have to reintegrate him into an offense that has found its rhythm in recent weeks.
The Magic will also host the Heat on Dec. 5, so the quarterfinal matchup will be the third game these teams have played this season, all in Orlando.
New York Knicks at Toronto Raptors
When: 8:30 p.m. ET. Where: Scotiabank Arena.
This ought to be a classic matchup of strength against strength: the Knicks’ potent offense, led by point guard Jalen Brunson, against the Raptors’ stingy defense. New York has missed forward OG Anunoby, one of the league’s most versatile defenders, who has been sidelined since Nov. 14 because of a strained left hamstring.
These teams haven’t faced each other this season yet, but they will play in a “regular” regular-season game Sunday afternoon at Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks won all four regular-season games against the Raptors in 2024-25, but Toronto is an entirely different team now. Brandon Ingram has not faced the Knicks since the Raptors acquired him at last season’s trade deadline, and Ingram is averaging a team-high 21.8 points per game. Scottie Barnes continues to make strides, augmenting his 19.5 points per game with career highs in field-goal percentage (50.9) and 3-point percentage (39.3).
Wednesday, Dec. 10
Phoenix Suns at Oklahoma City Thunder
When: 7:30 p.m. ET. Where: Paycom Center.
This quarterfinal is the NBA Cup’s equivalent of David versus Goliath.
The Suns entered this season with minimal outside expectations after the disastrous Devin Booker-Kevin Durant-Bradley Beal experiment. Yet here the new-look Suns are, with a surprising 12-8 record.
These two teams played Friday night in Oklahoma City, with the Thunder edging the Suns 123-119. Reigning league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a 37-point, eight-assist game. Six Suns players — Booker, Collin Gillespie, Dillon Brooks, Royce O’Neale, Mark Williams and Jordan Goodwin — scored in double figures.
Oklahoma City, of course, is Goliath in this scenario. The Thunder are the defending NBA champions (though not the defending NBA Cup champs), and they’re off to a 19-1 start. OKC joins the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors as the only defending champions to win at least 19 of their first 20 games. Those Warriors, of course, notched an NBA-record 73 wins before losing in that season’s NBA Finals.
As nice a story as the Suns have been so far, it’s difficult to envision the Thunder losing this game on their home floor.
San Antonio Spurs at Los Angeles Lakers
When: 10 p.m. ET. Where: Crypto.com Arena.
Will Victor Wembanyama play? That’s an essential question here. The towering center has been sidelined since Nov. 14 with a strained left calf, and on Nov. 18, the Spurs said he would be re-evaluated in two to three weeks. So, it seems unlikely that Wembanyama will participate in the quarterfinal.
The Spurs have won five of their six games without him, though, thanks to a cast of characters that includes De’Aaron Fox, Harrison Barnes, Keldon Johnson, Devin Vassell and Julian Champagnie.
These teams played Nov. 5 in Los Angeles, and the Lakers erased a nine-point deficit with 7:22 remaining in the fourth quarter to win 118-116. Luka Dončić finished the game with 35 points, nine rebounds and 13 assists.
How much will Dončić feast, especially if Wembanyama, the anchor of the Spurs’ defense, is unable to play?
