Stephon Castle says impressive plays from Spurs teammate Victor Wembanyama happens “often”
Spurs Stephon Castle explains to Lorenzo Reyes what its like playing in the NBA with a unicorn like Victor Wembanyama.
Regardless of what happens, there will be a new NBC Cup champion.
After the Los Angeles Lakers won the inaugural event in 2023 – then called the NBA In-Season Tournament – and after the Milwaukee Bucks won it last season, the NBA Cup trophy will now go to one of the four semifinal teams: the Orlando Magic, New York Knicks, San Antonio Spurs or Oklahoma City Thunder.
Both East and West games will take place Saturday, Dec. 13 in Las Vegas, with the final set for Tuesday, Dec. 16.
Here’s everything you need to know about the two matchups in the 2025 NBA Cup semifinals: the Orlando Magic vs. the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs vs. the Oklahoma City Thunder:
It’s mid-December and these two teams might already be tired of one another.
Saturday’s showdown will mark the fourth matchup between these two teams, and, interestingly, all of them have come in the last month. The Magic won the first two contests, though New York took the more recent meeting, 106-100, on Sunday, Dec. 7.
The Knicks are playing their best basketball of the season, having won eight of their last nine. During this recent stretch, Jalen Brunson has been stellar, averaging 28.2 points and 5.7 assists per game over that stretch.
Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges have also produced big games over this recent stretch, though New York’s most promising development has been the return of forward OG Anunoby, who had missed nine games with a hamstring injury. Since his return, Anunoby has helped spark intense defensive effort from the Knicks, who have allowed opponents to score just 104.3 points per game in that span.
While New York got healthy, Orlando will be without one of its stars.
Forward Franz Wagner suffered an awkward fall during this most recent loss against the Knicks Sunday and was later diagnosed with a high-ankle sprain that will likely sideline him for at least a couple of weeks.
While the Magic won their following game, Tuesday’s NBA Cup quarterfinal against the Miami Heat, Wagner leads the Magic in scoring (22.7 points per game), so Orlando will need to adjust.
The good news for the Magic is that guard Desmond Bane, after a slow start to the season, has picked up his scoring; over his last six games, he has produced three separate 37-point performances.
This matchup, however, will be strength on strength, and could very well be a future preview of a playoff showdown. The Magic rank sixth in the NBA in defensive rating (111.5), while the Knicks rank second in offensive rating (121.8).
∎ Prediction: Knicks win, 116-107
The Thunder are the best team in basketball. The Spurs, with their core of young talent, might be the squad to eventually contend with Oklahoma City, in what could be a blossoming rivalry in the West.
But, right now, it’s the Thunder who are dominant. They have sprinted out to a 24-1 record and are on pace to obliterate the single-season record for scoring margin – which they set last season.
Because late leads have been so out of hand, reigning Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has sat more fourth quarters (13) than ones he has played (11). Despite that, he’s averaging 32.6 points per game, which is second best in the NBA.
Yet, the wild thing is that the Thunder’s preferred starting lineup still hasn’t played a single minute this season, as Jalen Williams missed extended time before his return Nov. 28, and center Isaiah Hartenstein is currently out.
For the Spurs, it’s a different story. The team is expected to have star phenom Victor Wembanyama back from a left calf strain, as San Antonio upgraded him to probable on the injury report that dropped Friday, Dec. 12.
Wembanyama has missed the last 12 games with the injury, but the Spurs have been steady – if not stellar – in his absence. San Antonio has gone 9-3 in that span, and guards De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper have been the catalyst in getting the Spurs to push tempo.
It will be interesting to see if San Antonio opts to keep that strategy now that Wembanyama is expected back. The main issue, however, is that the Thunder are not only the best defensive team in basketball – and by a wide margin – but they also excel in transition, clogging lanes.
San Antonio, though, presents unique matchup problems for Oklahoma City. Chet Holmgren will likely be tasked with defending Wembanyama, though it will take an overall concerted effort. This could very well be a preview of the Western Conference finals.
∎ Prediction: Thunder win, 109-108