{"id":471505,"date":"2025-12-13T18:19:20","date_gmt":"2025-12-13T18:19:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/471505\/"},"modified":"2025-12-13T18:19:20","modified_gmt":"2025-12-13T18:19:20","slug":"starting-5-your-guide-to-tonights-emirates-nba-cup-semifinals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/471505\/","title":{"rendered":"Starting 5: Your guide to tonight\u2019s Emirates NBA Cup Semifinals"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Steph Curry returned Friday night.<\/p>\n

Showing\u2026 what\u2019s the opposite of rust? \ud83d\udc40<\/p>\n

\"Steph<\/p>\n

5 STORIES IN TODAY\u2019S EDITION \ud83c\udfc0<\/p>\n

Dec. 13, 2025<\/p>\n

The Stakes: How the four semifinalists got to Vegas, and what a win would mean<\/p>\n

Creator Cup: Basketball\u2019s top influencers hit the Cup court for bragging rights and big giveaways<\/p>\n

Spurs vs. Thunder: A record start, a franchise-best streak, the reigning Kia MVP and the return of Wemby<\/p>\n

Magic vs. Knicks: A top-5 offense, a top-5 defense and the 4th showdown this season between these contenders<\/p>\n

Friday\u2019s Firepower: Curry\u2019s return, Embiid\u2019s rewind and Spida tops high-scoring night<\/p>\n

BUT FIRST \u2026 \u23f0<\/p>\n

The final scores before Saturday\u2019s Cup Semifinals\u2026<\/p>\n

\"Scores<\/p>\n

The Emirates NBA Cup Semifinals tip off today in Las Vegas on Prime. To open, Jalen Brunson and the Knicks face Paolo Banchero\u2019s Magic (5:30 ET<\/a> | Tap to Watch<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Then, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder face the Spurs, with Victor Wembanyama (probable) expected to make his return (9 ET<\/a> | Tap to Watch<\/a>).<\/p>\n

The winners will stay in Vegas for Tuesday\u2019s winner-take-all NBA Cup Championship. And you could be there to witness it live. Grab your tickets now<\/a>!<\/p>\n

1. EMIRATES NBA CUP SEMIFINALS: THE JOURNEY & THE STAKES<\/p>\n

\"All<\/p>\n

Four teams. Three games to decide one champion.<\/p>\n

Knicks vs. Magic (5:30 ET, Prime). Spurs vs. Thunder (9 ET, Prime). Win or go home.<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s semifinals count toward the regular-season standings. But there\u2019s nothing regular about this stage.<\/p>\n

Elimination basketball. The whole hoops world watching. A title on the line.<\/p>\n

How They Got Here: Saturday opens with the East semifinal, as Jalen Brunson and the red-hot Knicks meet a familiar foe in the Magic \u2014 undefeated in Cup Play and undeterred by adversity.<\/p>\n

Cup Command: Despite missing Paolo Banchero for three Group Play games, Orlando secured the conference\u2019s No. 1 seed with a 4-0 record and an East-best +64 point differential
\nNext Man Up: Paolo returned for the Cup quarterfinals, where the Magic rolled past Miami behind Desmond Bane\u2019s 37 points, despite being without Franz Wagner (out tonight), who went down last Sunday with an ankle injury
\nKnicks Tape: That Sunday matchup came against New York, which won 106-100, before topping Toronto in the quarterfinals \u2013 its eighth win in the last nine games
\nRound 4: But the Magic still hold the season edge, taking two of the first three meetings. Now, they meet again \u2013 with a trip to Tuesday\u2019s championship hanging in the balance<\/p>\n

\"NBA<\/p>\n

Superstar Showdown: The night closes with a West semifinal built for the bright lights, as Victor Wembanyama returns for the surging Spurs \u2013 aiming to topple their biggest giant yet: the 24-1 Thunder.<\/p>\n

Thunder Strike: OKC stormed through Group Play unbeaten with an NBA-best +75 point differential. It followed with an even stronger statement in the quarterfinals, beating Phoenix 138-89 \u2013 the largest win in the NBA this season
\nPure Dominance: The victory pushed OKC\u2019s win streak to 16 games \u2013 setting a new franchise record, while matching the 2015-16 Warriors for the best 25-game start in league history
\nFlex Stretch: San Antonio, sitting 5th in the West regular-season standings, knocked off Houston and Denver in Group Play before ousting the Lakers in the quarterfinals
\nTop Target: Now, the Spurs will look to take down OKC, the final West power standing above them \u2013 with Wemby making his return after an 11-game absence (calf)<\/p>\n

Dive Deeper: Find everything you need at the Emirates NBA Cup hub<\/a>, including the latest Cup MVP Ladder<\/a> and Numbers To Know<\/a> for each semifinal.<\/p>\n

2. NBA CREATOR CUP: MEKA, TEAM LETHAL LEVEL UP FOR THE CROWN<\/p>\n

\"Creator<\/p>\n

Team Lethal 79, Team Agent 67: Team Lethal won all four Levels on the way to a convincing Playstation NBA Creator Cup championship Friday night on the NBA Cup championship court at T-Mobile Arena in Vegas.<\/p>\n

Meka took home MVP honors, netting 23 points<\/a> including the game-ending deep 3 to reach Level 4\u2019s Target Score. With just two points at halftime, Meka surged through Level 3 thanks to fan-selected doubled points for a 21-point 2nd half.<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt good,\u201d Meka said. \u201cLater on, I caught a little bit of fire, and I just kept letting that thing fly.\u201d<\/p>\n

YPK Raye matched<\/a> Meka\u2019s 23 points for Team Lethal, while Drifty Jay led Team Agent with a game-high 24 points.<\/p>\n

\"Creator<\/p>\n

Also at NBA Cup\u2019s Semifinal weekend, the EYBL Scholastic Showcase tipped off Friday with Michai White, Antonio Pemberton and Brewster Academy topping Sunrise Christian<\/a>, and Tahj Ariza\u2019s Link Academy defeating<\/a> Moussa Kamissoko and Long Island Lutheran.<\/p>\n

3. SPURS VS. THUNDER: SHAI, WEMBY & A HEAVYWEIGHT WEST SEMI<\/p>\n

\"Victor<\/p>\n

24-1. Tied for the best 25-game start in NBA history.<\/p>\n

16 straight wins. A franchise record.<\/p>\n

Now facing a rising West challenger \u2013 one it could battle for years to come \u2013 with an Alien set to re-enter the arena: Victor Wembanyama.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s in a class of his own<\/a>,\u201d said Jalen Williams on facing Wembanyama. \u201cYou have to really be on your principles \u2026 he\u2019s one of those players where you gotta bring it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Missing Piece: The Thunder checked just about every box in 2024-25: an NBA-best 68 wins, a record +12.9 point differential, a Kia MVP for their franchise cornerstone and an NBA title.<\/p>\n

But the NBA Cup escaped them \u2013 falling to the Bucks in last year\u2019s final.<\/p>\n

Now, off to an even better start this season \u2013 defined by dominance and a win streak that keeps stretching \u2013 they need one more W to get back to the Cup championship.<\/p>\n

The Thunder are on the cusp of the only trophy that\u2019s eluded them in the past year.<\/p>\n

\"Shai<\/p>\n

Martin McGrew + Ronald Cortes\/NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Styles make fights. And this one pits two masters of their craft at the epicenter \u2013 fighting for control of the same territory \u2013 as SGA, an interior artist, looks to solve the human wall that is Wemby.<\/p>\n

Automatic: Entering Saturday with 96 straight games of 20+ points, Shai is pouring in a career-best 32.6 ppg \u2013 second-most in the NBA
\n2-Point Tactician: 25.7 of those points come inside the 3-point line, including an NBA-best 14.1 ppg off drives and 8.1 ppg off 2-point pull-ups
\nThe Eraser: Waiting inside will be Wemby, who enters Saturday with 97 straight games with at least one block, averaging an NBA-best 3.6 rejections this season
\nEven More Amazing? Despite missing 11 games with his calf injury, Wemby is still tied for second in the league in total blocks (43)<\/p>\n

\"Jalen<\/p>\n

Zach Beeker + Adam Pantozzi\/NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Athletes Everywhere: On the other end, OKC\u2019s swarming defense \u2013 as disciplined as it is versatile \u2013 faces a Spurs attack that looks to turn every possession into a track meet.<\/p>\n

All Gas: San Antonio ranked 25th in pace on Nov. 14. In its 11 games since then, it\u2019s jumped to 11th \u2013 resulting in an 8-3 stretch
\nNo Breaks: The Spurs have also totaled the 2nd-most fast break points in Cup play, leading to the 5th-best OffRtg, with guards De\u2019Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper leading the charge
\n\u201cWe want to be able to speed the game up,\u201d said Fox after Thursday\u2019s Quarterfinal win. \u201cMake or miss, we\u2019re trying to get the ball down the court. Play fast, but not in a hurry.\u201d
\nWhy That\u2019s Key: OKC capitalizes on mistakes better than anyone, leading the league in forced turnovers (17.9) and points off them (25.0) \u2013 jumpstarting the 2nd-highest scoring offense in the NBA (123.6 ppg)<\/p>\n

Now, Shai meets Wemby, pressure meets pace \u2013 and only one team leaves with its Cup dreams intact.<\/p>\n

4. KNICKS VS. MAGIC: SURGING OFFENSE MEETS STIFLING DEFENSE<\/p>\n

\"Jalen<\/p>\n

A top offense meets a top defense.<\/p>\n

Unstoppable force meets immovable object.<\/p>\n

Tonight (5:30 ET, Prime Video), the Knicks take on the Magic at T-Mobile Arena in the Cup semifinals. They\u2019re plenty familiar \u2014 it\u2019s the fourth time they\u2019ve clashed this season, and dating back to 2024, they\u2019re 5-5 against each other.<\/p>\n

But none of those meetings had these stakes. A Cup championship berth is on the line.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s two good basketball teams,\u201d said Desmond Bane. \u201cTwo teams that are trying to do something big in the Eastern Conference.\u201d<\/p>\n

Garden of Eden: The Knicks boast the No. 1 offensive rating in the league across all Cup competition at 129.4 and ousted the Raptors by 16 points in the quarterfinals
\nAbracadabra: The Magic have been lights-out on the other end, earning a third-best 104.6 defensive rating in Cup play and holding the Heat to 108 points last time out<\/p>\n

Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns have each put their stamp on this matchup in 2025-26. Now they have the opportunity to do so again while pushing their team one step closer to glory.<\/p>\n

Fire Burning: Brunson has produced 31.3 points and 8.7 assists per game against the Magic thus far in 2025-26, and on Dec. 7, dropped 30 on 10-for-23 shooting
\nTalk of the Towns: Averaging 19.5 points and 10.0 rebounds versus Orlando in his own right, Towns pitched in as many as 24 points on Nov. 22 and 12 rebounds on Nov. 12<\/p>\n

\"Karl-Anthony<\/p>\n

Vaughn Ridley + Fernando Medina\/NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n

With Franz Wagner (ankle) unavailable, the Magic will rely on the rest of their starters to elevate their game. They\u2019ve found a way \u2014 still undefeated in Cup play at 5-0.<\/p>\n

Make It Rain: Desmond Bane has been dangerous from deep, shooting 47.1% beyond the arc, while also contributing 21.7 ppg and 5.7 apg opposite the Knicks
\nThird Time\u2019s Charm? For Paolo Banchero, that could be the case. He was injured in the first meeting and missed the second, but shot 4-for-11 with 16 points in the third
\n\u201cIt\u2019s a tremendous opportunity to play on this stage,\u201d Banchero said. \u201cYou can tell by all the stuff going on \u2014 it\u2019s a big stage.\u201d<\/p>\n

5. FRIDAY FRENZY: CURRY, SPIDA, EMBIID STAR IN HIGH-SCORING NIGHT\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Donovan<\/p>\n

Spida, Embiid, Curry, and more.<\/p>\n

Outside of Vegas, some of the game\u2019s biggest names and most electrifying talents went on scoring sprees Friday night.<\/p>\n

Facing Cleveland\u2019s largest deficit late in the 3rd, Donovan Mitchell leveled up for the highest-scoring 4th quarter by a player this season.<\/p>\n

Cavaliers 130, Wizards 126: Mitchell caught fire for a 24-point 4th quarter, hitting four of his eight 3s, pulling the Cavs back from a 15-point hole for the win and a season-high 48 points<\/a>. Bub Carrington (5 3s, 6 reb, 8 ast) had his own season high of 27 points, matched by CJ McCollum to lead Washington. | Recap<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Joel<\/p>\n

With Tyrese Maxey out (illness), the Sixers needed a way to make up for his nightly 31.5 points in Indy.<\/p>\n

Joel Embiid found the answer in his bag.<\/p>\n

Sixers 115, Pacers 105: In his highest-scoring game since Jan. 22, 2024\u2019s career-best 70 points, Embiid powered up for 39 in under 32 minutes<\/a>, and Philly used a 13-2 4th quarter run to take the game. Paul George (23 pts, 4 3s, 6 reb, 5 ast) and VJ Edgecombe (22 pts, 5 ast) supported while Pascal Siakam (20 pts) led the Pacers. | Recap<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Steph<\/p>\n

After the warmup seen \u2018round the world<\/a>, Steph splashed into Friday\u2019s points party against hot-shooting Minnesota.<\/p>\n

Timberwolves 127, Warriors 120: In a back-and-forth game of 27 lead changes, Steph (39 pts, 6 3s<\/a>) brought the Warriors back from the Wolves\u2019 17-0 4th-quarter run, with a 3-ball to retake the lead with 2:09 to play. But Minnesota\u2019s wild 13-3 finish<\/a>, including 8 points from Donte DiVincenzo (21 pts, 6 reb, 4 3s), got the Wolves to their 6th win in their last seven. | Recap<\/a><\/p>\n

No Slowing Down: Curry passed Michael Jordan with his 94th game of 35+ points after turning 35, the most such games in NBA history<\/p>\n

\"Detroit<\/p>\n

Chris Schwegler\/NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n

The Pistons joined OKC\u2019s 20-win club in true team-first fashion, with all 13 in uniform contributing to a season-high 142 points.<\/p>\n

Pistons 142, Hawks 115: Detroit\u2019s eight double-figure scorers, led by Isaiah Stewart\u2019s 17, were enough to overcome Jalen Johnson\u2019s Hawks-record 3rd straight triple-double (19 pts, 11 reb, 12 ast), as the first-place Pistons reached 20 wins in 25 games or less for the 3rd time in team history. | Recap<\/a><\/p>\n

Historic Hawk: Johnson\u2019s 5th triple-double this season are the most ever in any Hawks season. It\u2019s the 7th of his young career, matching Mookie Blaylock for most triple-doubles for any Hawk ever, in less than half as many games played (207)<\/p>\n

Mavericks 119, Nets 111: Cooper Flagg (22 pts, 8 ast) and AD (24 pts, 20 in 2nd half) combined for 46 points, with Davis\u2019 11 points in the 4th fueling the Mavs\u2019 29-19 quarter and 9-1 game-ending run, outdueling Michael Porter Jr.\u2019s (34 pts, 6 3s) 4th straight 30+ point game. Dallas has won five of its last six games. | Recap<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Anthony<\/p>\n

Bulls 129, Hornets 126: Josh Giddey (26 pts, 7 reb, 11 ast) and Coby White (20 pts) guided Chicago through nine 4th quarter lead changes to top Miles Bridges (32 pts, 7 ast, 4 3s) and Kon Knueppel\u2019s career-high 33 points, as the Bulls snapped a 7-game skid. | Recap<\/a><\/p>\n

Charlotte\u2019s Future: Knueppel (5 reb, 9 ast, 5 3s) joined LaMelo Ball as the only Hornets rookies to ever record 30+ points, 5+ assists and 5+ made threes in a game<\/p>\n

Jazz 130, Grizzlies 126: Keyonte George scored a career-high<\/a> with 39 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists and 5 threes, and Kevin Love (20 pts, 8 reb, 4 3s) had his best scoring night since January 2024 as the Jazz outlasted the Grizzlies in Ja Morant\u2019s return (21 pts, 10 ast). | Recap<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Steph Curry returned Friday night. Showing\u2026 what\u2019s the opposite of rust? \ud83d\udc40 5 STORIES IN TODAY\u2019S EDITION \ud83c\udfc0…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":471506,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[7,68099,6,50537],"class_list":{"0":"post-471505","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nba","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-emirates-nba-cup-2025-semifinals-preview","10":"tag-nba","11":"tag-nba-starting-5-newsletter"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/115713642969204576","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/471505","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=471505"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/471505\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/471506"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=471505"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=471505"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=471505"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}