Who is in the 2025 NBA Cup finals? What to know about championship game of league’s in-season tournament
Could a 2026 NBA Finals preview be on the horizon?
The NBA’s in-season tournament, also known as the NBA Cup, will culminate in Las Vegas on Tuesday night after weeks of head-to-head action, including Saturday’s semifinals.
While the NBA Cup winner has not been fully indicative of playoff success, the Milwaukee Bucks won in 2024 and then fell in the first round of the postseason. Still, this year’s championship matchup will feature two of the title favorites from their respective conferences.
Here is a breakdown of this year’s NBA Cup finals game.
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Who is in the NBA Cup finals?
- New York Knicks vs. San Antonio Spurs
In the 2025 NBA Cup championship, the New York Knicks will meet the San Antonio Spurs.
The Knicks, who beat the Orlando Magic 132-120 in the semifinals, are off to an 18-7 start to the season. Entering the year as one of the favorites to come out of the Eastern Conference, New York has looked dangerous — and potentially with its best championship chances in decades.
First-year head coach Mike Brown has gotten strong contributions from his usual suspects, including Jalen Brunson (28.3 PPG, 6.3 APG), Karl-Anthony Towns (22.1 PPG, 12.0 RPG) and Mikal Bridges (16.4 PPG, 2.0 SPG). Boasting some of the best depth in the Eastern Conference, the Knicks have ridden their hot stretch into Las Vegas.
As for the Spurs, coming in at 18-7, they just became the second team to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder through 26 games this season. In an NBA Cup semifinal matchup on Saturday, with Victor Wembanyama returning from injury, San Antonio held on late to beat the defending champions, 111-109.
Wembanyama (26.2 PPG, 12.9 RPG) has been dominant when healthy this season, but the Spurs remained a dangerous team even in his absence. De’Aaron Fox (24.0 PPG, 6.3 APG) and Stephon Castle (18.2 PPG, 7.4 APG) have headlined a strong guard rotation as the Spurs have re-emerged as a title threat this season.
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When is the NBA Cup finals?
- Date: Tuesday, Dec. 16
- Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
The finale of the 2025 NBA Cup will be on Tuesday, Dec. 16, scheduled for an 8:30 p.m. ET tipoff.
Where is the NBA Cup finals?
- T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV
The semifinals and finals of the NBA Cup are being played at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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What is the NBA Cup?
The NBA Cup is the NBA’s midseason tournament, which debuted during the 2023–24 season. While the tournament has undergone some rule tweaks since then, the goal is to drive competitiveness and add entertainment to the league’s regular season.
All 30 teams participate in the NBA Cup. The tournament begins with group play in November, followed by a single-elimination knockout round in December. The teams are divided into six in-conference groups. Based on the standings from head-to-head matchups, each group winner and the best second-place team from each conference advance to the quarterfinals.
The semifinals and final are held in Las Vegas. Statistics from the final do not count toward regular-season totals.
What do teams get for winning NBA Cup?
The winning team receives the NBA Cup trophy, and each winning player receives a cash prize. According to Front Office Sports, in 2025, each winning player will receive $530,000, which was up 3% from 2024. Players on the runner-up team each reportedly receive $212,373.
The NBA also gives out individual honors for the NBA Cup, including a tournament MVP and an All-Tournament team. But for the players, the financial benefits are the biggest boost — especially for players on smaller contracts.
