The Thunder surged to a record of 24-1 after a commanding victory over the Suns, matching the 2015-16 Warriors for the best 25-game start in NBA history. They not only dominated, but handed the Suns their worst loss ever, a staggering 49-point defeat. On the other side, the Spurs triumphed over Luka Dončić and LeBron James’ Lakers even without their star Victor Wembanyama. It remains unclear if Wembanyama, sidelined for a month with a calf injury, will be ready to face OKC.
In the Eastern Conference, the Magic and Knicks both clinched wins on Tuesday night. The Magic bounced back after conceding the first 15 points to the Heat, showcasing their resilience. Meanwhile, the Knicks had a standout performance from Jalen Brunson, who scored 35 points in their road victory against the Raptors.
The Thunder currently stand as the favorites to win the 2025 NBA Cup, with odds at -225 according to FanDuel. The Bucks claimed the trophy last year, while the Lakers took home the first-ever championship in 2023.
NBA Cup knockout stage schedule
Tuesday, Dec. 9
- Magic 117, Heat 108
- Knicks 117, Raptors 101
Wednesday, Dec. 10
- Thunder 138, Suns 89
- Spurs 132, Lakers 119
Saturday, Dec. 13
- Magic vs. Knicks | 5:30 p.m. ET | Amazon Prime Video
- Thunder vs. Spurs | 9 p.m. ET | Amazon Prime Video
Tuesday, Dec. 16
- Magic/Knicks vs. Thunder/Spurs | 8:30 p.m. ET | Amazon Prime Video
Teams including the Heat, Magic, Knicks, Raptors, Suns, Thunder, Spurs, and Lakers reached the knockout stage with a record of 3-1 or better in the group round. Remarkably, the Thunder, Lakers, Raptors, and Magic finished undefeated in their groups. Check out Sam Quinn’s analysis of the group play stage.
The quarterfinal matchups were held in the higher seed’s home markets, but the semifinals and finals on December 16 will light up Las Vegas.
