The battle for the 2025 NBA Cup is officially down to eight teams.
Entering Friday night, six of the eight spots in the single-elimination knockout round were still up for grabs.
In the Western Conference, the Thunder topped the Suns 123–119 to clinch Group A, and the Spurs defeated the Nuggets 139–136 to secure Group C and send Denver packing. The Lakers already had clinched Group B heading into Friday, but with a win over Dallas, they locked down home-court advantage in the NBA Cup quarterfinals. Despite the loss to Oklahoma City, Phoenix claimed a wild-card berth by winning the tiebreaker over the Grizzlies.
Over in the Eastern Conference, the Raptors and Magic cruised to 4–0 records to win Group A and Group B, respectively. The Knicks won Group C with a 118–109 win over the Bucks on Friday, and Miami clinched the wild card with both the Pistons and Cavaliers losing.
The 2025 NBA Cup began just about a month ago on the night of Halloween. Each team played four games in group play. The teams with the best win-loss records in all six groups were awarded a spot in the eight-team knockout round bracket along with two wild cards—one from the Western Conference and one from the East with the best record in group play games that finished second in its group.
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Four teams went 4–0 in group play in the Raptors, Magic, Thunder and Lakers. The other two group winners in San Antonio and New York—as well as the two wild-card teams in Miami and Phoenix—went 3–1.
The NBA Cup quarterfinals begin with two matchups on Tuesday, Dec. 9 and another two tilts on Wednesday, Dec. 10. Then, the tournament pivots to a neutral site at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas for the semifinals on Saturday, Dec. 13. The third NBA Cup champion will be crowned in the title game in Las Vegas on Tuesday, Dec. 16.
Here’s a look at the official 2025 NBA Cup bracket, as released by the NBA:
The 2025 NBA Cup playoff bracket.
The 2025 NBA Cup playoff bracket. / NBA
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