Check out this time lapse of the 2025 Emirates NBA Cup Court in Las Vegas.
LAS VEGAS — Welcome to the Las Vegas stage of the NBA Cup Ladder, where the serious candidates are suddenly slimmer than the odds at the blackjack tables. There are only a handful of teams left — four, to be exact — and a handful of contenders for NBA Cup MVP.
Well, more than four. But, point made — the pecking order is becoming more unforgiving than weeks ago, when the entire league was invited to the Cup party.
It’s the Orlando Magic vs. New York Knicks from the East, San Antonio Spurs vs. the Avengers in the West. Actually, it’s the Oklahoma City Thunder who, with just one loss all season, are playing like superheroes.
The stage is set for @emirates NBA Cup Semifinals action! 🤩🏆
Knicks vs. Magic | 5:30pm/et
Spurs vs. Thunder | 9:00pm/etIt's all going down in Las Vegas this Saturday on Prime. pic.twitter.com/jhb1Oy23Zq
— NBA (@NBA) December 11, 2025
The Semifinals are Saturday, the Championship is Tuesday, and in these situations, the best players usually rush to the rescue. Two years ago, it was Anthony Davis and LeBron James; last year, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard. The Lakers and Bucks took those titles as a result.
So, the obvious questions:
Who will follow those leads? Will someone deeper in the rotation unexpectedly piece together a pair of solid outings and steal the MVP? And mostly, will Shai Gilgeous-Alexander prevent the Thunder from doubling their number of defeats this season? (Hint: They have only one.)
Setting the stage for the Semifinals: The guard play should be good, if not glorious, in both Semifinal games. In the East, it’s the battle of the Jalens. Brunson of the Knicks will see one of the league’s better backcourt defenders in Suggs. In the West, Shai will see a triple threat of Spurs — De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper.
The stat to know: Yet another Jalen — Williams of the Thunder — is gradually rounding into form after sitting roughly the first month of the season following offseason surgery. In his six games played, he’s averaging 17 points, five rebounds and six assists.
What they are saying: “I just lost $35,000. I gotta go get it back somehow.” — Desmond Bane of the Orlando Magic on his motivation to win the Cup; he was previously fined that amount for throwing the ball at OG Anunoby of the Knicks.
1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
Last ranking: No. 2
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander lifts OKC to its 16th straight win, finishing with 28 points in an NBA Cup win vs. Phoenix.
His case: In back-to-back Cup play against the Suns, first in the Group and then the Quarterfinals, Shai scored a combined 65 points, and for most players, that would be a remarkable total. For Shai, it is becoming routine, but no need to punish him for that.
In these Cup games, much like the rest of the season, the biggest mystery for Shai is whether he’ll play the fourth quarter. He did in the first Suns’ game and had 15 of his 37 in the fourth. In the next game, a 49-point shellacking, take a wild guess where Shai was for the last 12 minutes.
2. Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks
Last ranking: No. 3
Jalen Brunson drops 35 points vs. the Raptors to send New York to the NBA Cup Semifinals.
His case: In the NBA Cup games he has played, Brunson has looked every bit like the All-NBA player he is, taking charge for the Knicks and getting key buckets that trigger runs or serve to deflate the opposition. Brunson was terrific against Toronto in the Quarterfinals, getting 20 of his 35 in the first quarter, when the Knicks ripped the game open and never looked back.
He helped the Knicks punch their ticket to the Knockout Rounds with 37 against the Bucks. We’ve seen these types of games strung together by Brunson in the past, and now, there’s something on the line. And that’s usually when one of the game’s better clutch players comes through.
3. Stephon Castle, San Antonio Spurs
Last ranking: Unranked
Stephon Castle scores 30 points with 10 rebounds as the Spurs advance to the NBA Cup Semifinals.
His case: Castle destroyed whatever defense the Lakers could muster against him, which wasn’t much, and enjoyed his best game of the season in the Cup Quarterfinals. That amounted to a season-high points, 30, and on 10-14 shooting. He did whatever he wanted to, basically. And in addition, he had 10 rebounds and six assists and played only 27 minutes. That’s quite a production-per-minute ratio.
And in the previous Cup game, Castle powered the Spurs with a 23-10-10 triple-double against the Warriors. With Victor Wembanyama out so far with injuries, Castle is providing the offense the Spurs need.
4. Desmond Bane, Orlando Magic
Last ranking: Unranked
Desmond Bane erupts for 37 points to power Orlando to the NBA Cup Semifinals.
His case: After a sluggish start to his first season with the Magic, Bane became more comfortable with his new teammates and the system and as a result, went a level up starting in mid-November. Not so coincidentally, the Magic shook off a slump and began winning as well. His outside shooting is proving to be valuable to a team that lacked such numbers in the rotation; he has the most 35-point games by a Magic guard in a season since Tracy McGrady in 2004.
He dropped 37 points with only one turnover against the Heat in the Quarterfinals. In the last Group Play game, he had 37 points to topple the East-leading Pistons. Bane is bringing his best just when Orlando needs it most.
5. Karl-Anthony Towns, New York Knicks
Last ranking: No. 8
Karl-Anthony Towns took flight for the Play of the Day in New York's win over Toronto in the NBA Cup Quarterfinals.
His case: In what was otherwise a blowout win over the Raptors, Towns turned defensive, with 16 rebounds and a pair of blocks, and Toronto was effectively stifled. He had 19 and 10 against the Hornets in Group Play and also grabbed 10 rebounds against the Bucks.
From an offensive standpoint, which is really where his gifts lie, Towns is perhaps the best shooting center still alive in the Cup. It’s likely the Knicks will give him more touches Saturday against Orlando.
The next 5:
6. De’Aaron Fox, San Antonio Spurs
7. Luka Dončić, Los Angels Lakers
8. Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City Thunder
9. Jalen Williams, Oklahoma City Thunder
10. Austin Reaves, Los Angeles Lakers
And five more (listed alphabetically): Anthony Black, Orlando Magic; Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns; Collin Gillespie, Phoenix Suns; Brandon Ingram, Toronto Raptors; Ajay Mitchell, Oklahoma City Thunder
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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA since 1985. You can e-mail him at spowell@nba.com, find his archive here and follow him on X.
