After their third year, the league continues to tweak the NBA Cup format. The daring in-season tournament has created polarizing reactions. At best, it’s additive to the mundane regular-season marathon. At worst, the logistical nightmare punishes teams who advance.

One part of it that will change is the location. The first three seasons had the semifinals and finals played at Las Vegas as the NBA stayed there for a handful of days. The media extravaganza surrounding it has duplicated the feel of the NBA Finals — but with obviously smaller stakes.

That will change. The semifinals will now be played at the higher seed’s home market. For example, the Thunder would’ve hosted the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs these past two years.

The finals are to be decided. But from reading in-between the lines, it sounds like the NBA is ready to pull the plug on the Las Vegas experiment. Which is a shame, too. Jalen Williams has grown to love the unique environment where the arena is filled with mostly neutral fans and tourists.

“It’s cool, but I play (in OKC) so it’s a drop-off. It is cool to see Vegas rally around the games,” Williams said. “Anytime a city is auditioning for a team to be there, it definitely shows out. It’s a good atmosphere. I do like going there to play. It brings a new element.”

We’ll see how much more the NBA invests in Las Vegas besides just Summer League. They were a hot contender to get an expansion team about a half-decade ago. But with the league dragging its feet on that, it feels like those talks have cooled off.

Either way, if the Thunder make it past the NBA Cup quarterfinals again, they’ll at least have more incentive to go all out by earning an additional home game. For the last two seasons, they’ve been nearly unbeatable in their home gym.

Jalen Williams on theNBA Cup atmosphere: “It’s cool but I play (in OKC) so it’s a drop-off. It is cool to see Vegas rally around the games. Anytime a city is auditioning for a team to be there, it definitely shows out.” pic.twitter.com/mYZXJlpBbF

— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) December 17, 2025