The NBA’s in-season drama hits the Las Vegas Strip today. The Emirates NBA Cup 2025 Semifinals bring two win-or-go-home showdowns to T-Mobile Arena: the New York Knicks versus the Orlando Magic in the East, and the San Antonio Spurs versus the Oklahoma City Thunder in the West. There are no final scores yet—tip-off is set for this afternoon—and the stakes stretch beyond the Cup. With one twist: these knockout games count in the regular season standings, except the title game.

It’s a busy, buzzy doubleheader built for a Saturday in Vegas. It’s also a clear sign that the NBA’s in-season tournament has grown teeth, storylines, and real urgency.

Las Vegas becomes the NBA Cup stage

T-Mobile Arena, in the heart of the Strip, hosts both semifinals today and the championship on Tuesday, December 16, at 5:30 PM PT. The league wanted energy and a central stage. Vegas delivers both. The event message is direct: “Don’t miss the Emirates NBA Cup 2025 Semifinals and Championship at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday, December 13 & Tuesday, December 16!”

That promotional push is matched by the feel in the building. Two games. Four teams. One city built for marquee moments.

Today’s schedule and entry times

• East Semifinal: Knicks vs. Magic at 2:30 PM PT (5:30 PM ET); doors open at 1:00 PM.
• West Semifinal: Spurs vs. Thunder at 6:00 PM PT; doors open at 5:15 PM.

Plan ahead. The quick turnaround between games will keep the arena buzzing. Expect noise, color, and a full-day basketball festival feel.

“If the Knicks sent the champs home in groups, what’s their ceiling now?”

Why the NBA Cup matters in December

Some fans asked why this tournament exists. Today is a good answer. These semifinal games count toward the regular season. That means every rebound, every timeout, every late-game play affects the standings. Coaches cannot treat this like a showcase. Players can’t coast. It’s pressure with two scoreboards: the Cup bracket and the 82-game grind.

The only exception is the championship on December 16. That game crowns a Cup winner, but it does not change the regular-season records. Still, the title itself matters. The NBA Cup is young, but a trophy is a trophy, and players feel it.

How we got here: groups, wild cards, and quarters

The field was built the same way as last year’s model: group play first, with group winners advancing along with one wild card team from each conference. The single-elimination knockout stage started in local markets with quarterfinals on December 9–10. That trimmed the bracket down to today’s final four.

The headline twist along the way? The defending champion Milwaukee Bucks are out—bounced in group play by the Knicks. That doesn’t decide today, but it speaks to the Cup’s unpredictability. A hot start, a cold night, a loud building—this tournament can flip a favorite fast.

East semifinal: New York Knicks vs. Orlando Magic

The Knicks arrive with momentum after ending the Bucks’ defense of the Cup in the group stage. That carries quiet confidence and a target. The Magic come in as a young, hungry team with size and energy. Expect hard drives, tight defense, and a chess match on pace. If the game gets slow and physical, New York will not mind. If it speeds up, Orlando will look to run.

There are no score updates yet, but the stakes are clear: win and you’re one game from the Cup; lose and you fly home with only regular-season ledger lines to show for it.

“East game feels like grit vs. growth—who blinks first in Vegas?”

West semifinal: San Antonio Spurs vs. Oklahoma City Thunder

This is a showcase of the West’s future meeting in the present. Both teams bring length, speed, and fearless shot-making. The Thunder thrive when they space the floor and defend without fouling. The Spurs will try to win the glass and force half-court decisions. A few clean runs can decide it.

Again, the dual stakes matter. Win today and your record gets a bump in the West race. Win again Tuesday and you lift the Cup on national attention’s biggest December stage.

The Vegas effect: event energy and VIP access

Las Vegas knows big events. The NBA Cup is built to tap into that. The league and its partners are offering official experience packages with VIP access, making the weekend feel like a mini All-Star scene with a knockout edge. As one official line puts it: “Experience the excitement of the NBA’s premier in-season tournament live in Las Vegas.”

For fans, that means more than a seat. It’s a weekend of basketball and buzz on the Strip, and it ends with a trophy raised under bright lights.

“The Cup counting for standings makes December feel like April.”

What a win would mean—and what won’t count

A semifinal win gives a team two things: a step toward the Cup and a real, bankable regular-season result. That’s powerful. Coaches can point to these games in March and say: that Saturday in Vegas helped us avoid a tiebreaker mess.

What won’t show up in the record is Tuesday’s championship. The numbers people will treat it as a neutral. The players won’t. The Cup is a banner you can see and a moment you can feel. In a sport that plays 82, those memories matter.

The state of the bracket—and the state of the Cup

In year two, the NBA Cup already has a calling card: urgency in the middle of the calendar. The quarterfinals in local markets on December 9–10 gave home fans a taste. The Las Vegas semifinals and final give the league a stage. The format is easy to follow—groups, wild cards, bracket—and it sets up clean storylines like the Knicks eliminating the defending champs in group play.

There are no final scores to report yet. But the table is set, and the stakes are clear. Two teams will book a return to T-Mobile Arena on December 16. Two teams will leave Vegas hoping the standings boost carries into the winter grind.

Looking ahead: Tuesday’s championship

The title game tips at 5:30 PM PT on December 16, right back at T-Mobile Arena. It won’t change the regular-season math. It will change the conversation. Lift the Cup in Las Vegas, and your season feels different the next morning. That’s the point of this thing: to make December feel big—and to reward the team that handles the moment best.

For now, Las Vegas belongs to the final four. The lights are on. The doors are open. The basketball matters—today.