The NBA Cup shifts to Las Vegas on Saturday as the semifinals begin at T-Mobile Arena.
The doubleheader begins at 5:30 p.m. ET with the New York Knicks facing the Orlando Magic, before the Oklahoma City Thunder match up with the San Antonio Spurs (9 p.m. ET). Winners of each matchup advance to the finals, which will be Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. ET.
The Magic defeated the Miami Heat 117-108 in the quarterfinals, led by a season-high 37 points from guard Desmond Bane. Though the Magic will be without leading scorer Franz Wagner due to a left ankle sprain, Paolo Banchero is back. He missed nearly a month due to a groin injury and has appeared in Orlando's previous three games.
The Knicks took down the Toronto Raptors 117-101 on Wednesday in a matchup that saw 10 lead changes until early in the second quarter, before New York went ahead for good. It led by as many as 24 points, cruising to its fourth straight victory. A notable reason for the Knicks' recent strong run? Guard Josh Hart's insertion into the starting lineup -- New York is 8-1 with Hart in the opening five.
Notably, Bane was fined $35,000 by the NBA for firing a basketball at New York's OG Anunoby in an unsportsmanlike manner when the teams met on Dec. 7. The two were able to laugh it off on the court after the game.
Oklahoma City is the only team from this quartet with previous experience in Las Vegas. The Thunder reached the NBA Cup final last season, losing to the Milwaukee Bucks. However, Oklahoma City comes to Sin City as defending NBA champions and in the midst of a historic run.
The Thunder are 24-1, matching the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors for the best start through 25 games in NBA history, and have won 16 straight games, a franchise record. They defeated the Phoenix Suns 138-89 in the quarterfinals, the largest margin of victory in any NBA Cup game since the format was implemented in 2023-24.
San Antonio hasn't faced the league-leading team yet, but it's coming off a big 132-119 win against the Los Angeles Lakers in the quarterfinals. Missing Victor Wembanyama due to a calf injury, guard Stephon Castle dropped 30 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists in the win. Wembanyama hasn't played since Nov. 14 -- however, he's expected to play on Saturday.
Who will clinch a spot in the NBA Cup finals? Follow along for the top moments, highlights and reactions from the semifinals.
