We now have reached the NBA Cup quarterfinals, the eight-team knockout spherical — now issues get critical. Particularly for the gamers on these groups, as a result of the cash is now very actual.
“I feel half 1,000,000 {dollars} remains to be an excellent amount of cash to have the ability to encourage you to wish to win video games,” the Lakers’ Jake LaRavia advised NBC Sports activities just lately.
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Right here is all the things you could know concerning the NBA Cup quarterfinals matchups on Tuesday and Wednesday, and what occurs from there.
What’s the NBA Cup 2025 format?
That is the one factor that has remained largely the identical by way of the three years of the NBA Cup. First, all 30 groups had been drawn into one of many six five-team teams (three East teams and three West teams). Every workforce performs the opposite groups in its group as soon as — 4 video games complete — and people video games rely double as each regular-season and NBA Cup video games.
The six group winners plus a wild card from every convention advance to the quarterfinals, the place we are actually. These groups are positioned in an eight-team knockout bracket (East vs. East, West vs. West, till the Finals). Beginning with Tuesday’s video games, they’re single-elimination.
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What are the quarterfinals matchups?
Japanese Convention
Dec. 9 (on Amazon Prime)
Miami Warmth at Orlando Magic
Recreation Evaluation: After a gradual begin to their season, Orlando discovered its footing simply because the NBA Cup obtained rolling. Not solely did the Magic sweep into the quarterfinals, nevertheless it additionally is available in sizzling, having gone 7-3 of their final 10 with a top-10 offense and protection over that stretch. Nevertheless, the Magic will enter the sport with out their greatest participant this season, Franz Wagner, who suffered a excessive ankle sprain on Sunday.
Miami has been one of many nice surprises of the season, with Erik Spoelstra flipping the Warmth offense on its head, placing in an up-tempo, fast-decision offense that shuns picks in favor of isolation assaults. The excellent news is that the Warmth are mainly wholesome for this recreation, with Norman Powell and Tyler Herro able to go. The dangerous information is they arrive in chilly having dropped three in a row, and up to now couple of weeks their protection and offense have fallen off.
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New York Knicks at Toronto Raptors
Recreation Evaluation: Watch the tempo of this recreation to get a clue how it’s going. Toronto desires to run — it begins extra of its possessions in transition than any workforce within the league, and it is obtained the athletes who can end in house with Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley. Toronto depends on a stress protection to gas its transition offense, however when pressured into the half-court, it banks on Brandon Ingram and his midrange recreation to energy issues (Toronto as a workforce loves the midrange).
The Knicks will run once they get the prospect, however that is the workforce with the league’s sixth-best first-shot half-court offense behind Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Cities. New York is available in purple sizzling, having gained 7-of-8.
Western Convention
Dec. 10 (on Amazon Prime)
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Phoenix Suns at Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder
Recreation Evaluation: Oklahoma Metropolis has been a juggernaut thus far this season — 23-1 with a 15.9 web score that’s on tempo to set an NBA report. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will get the headlines — he seems the early frontrunner to repeat as MVP — they usually have Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, however what actually drives the Thunder is their league-best protection. OKC’s 104.1 defensive score is 6.5 factors per 100 possessions higher than any workforce within the league.
That stated, simply greater than every week in the past the Suns gave the Thunder all they might deal with in a 123-119 loss. Phoenix has been one of many nice tales of the younger season and three folks deserve lots of credit score for that. One is coach Jordan Ott, who, in his first season, has given this workforce an identification — which begins with an aggressive, urgent protection — and has them taking part in arduous each night time (one thing the Suns did not do constantly over the previous couple of years). The second is Dillon Brooks, who got here to Phoenix this summer season within the Kevin Durant commerce as a defensive stopper and an power and depth man, however is breaking out on offense averaging 22.3 factors per recreation. The opposite is Devin Booker, who stays among the finest two guards within the recreation, however his standing for this recreation is questionable.
San Antonio at Los Angeles Lakers
Recreation Evaluation: The large query heading into this one is whether or not Victor Wembanyama returns to play for the Spurs. He has been working towards with the workforce, however there isn’t a phrase from the workforce (as of this writing), and the stories out of San Antonio make it sound like Wemby could sit this one out, too (Stephon Citadel did return Monday night time). San Antonio has gone 8-3 with Wembanyama out (calf pressure), and in that point, the Spurs have gotten All-Star-level scoring and management from De’Aaron Fox, and regulate rookie Dylan Harper, who has been sensible.
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The Lakers have been among the finest groups within the West, led by Luka Doncic taking part in at an MVP degree, Austin Reaves proving he is able to be a second scoring choice, and LeBron James returning and becoming in, doing regardless of the workforce must win on a given night time. One factor to look at: the Lakers are 8-0 in clutch video games this season (inside 5 factors within the remaining 5 minutes).
When are the NBA Cup quarterfinals, Finals?
Right here is the schedule for the quarterfinals and past:Quarterfinals: Dec. 9 and 10Semifinals: Dec. 13 (Las Vegas)Championship: Dec. 16 (Las Vegas)
NBA Cup 2025 odds
Listed below are the percentages for the eight groups remaining to win the NBA Cup, through our companions at DraftKings:
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Oklahoma Metropolis (-120)New York (+475)Los Angeles Lakers (+500)Orlando (+1200)Miami (+1200)Toronto (+1400)San Antonio (+1800)Phoenix (+9000)
How a lot cash does the champion get?
Because the Lakers’ LaRavia stated above, the prize cash motivates the gamers — and each roster participant within the quarterfinals will get a bonus take a look at of this. Nevertheless, all of them have their eyes on the massive prize.
How large? That is how the payouts break down:
• Every participant on the workforce that wins the championship: $530,933• Every participant on the workforce that loses within the championship: $212,373• Every participant on a workforce that loses within the semifinals: $106,187• Every participant on a workforce that loses within the quarterfinals: $53,093
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Who gained the 2024 NBA Cup?
Milwaukee bounced again from an unsightly 2-8 begin to the season to search out its footing in NBA Cup video games and went on a run behind Giannis Antetokounmpo. He lifted them to the Cup Finals in opposition to Oklahoma Metropolis, the place Antetokounmpo had a 26-point triple-double, utterly controlling the sport on each ends of the courtroom.
Methods to Watch the NBA on NBC and Peacock
Peacock NBA Monday will stream as much as three Monday night time video games every week all through the common season. Coast 2 Coast Tuesday presents doubleheaders on Tuesday nights all through the common season on NBC and Peacock. On most Tuesdays, an 8 p.m. ET recreation shall be on NBC stations within the Japanese and Central time zones, and an 8 p.m. PT recreation on NBC stations within the Pacific and sometimes Mountain time zones. Examine native listings every week. Each video games will stream reside nationwide on Peacock. NBC Sports activities will launch Sunday Evening Basketball throughout NBC and Peacock on Feb. 1, 2026. For a full schedule of the NBA on NBC and Peacock, click on right here.
