The NBA Cup quarterfinals ended on Wednesday with two big Western Conference matchups. The Oklahoma City Thunder crushed the Phoenix Suns, and the San Antonio Spurs surprised the Los Angeles Lakers. Both games showed where each team stands as the tournament heads to the semifinals.

The 2025 NBA Cup offers major financial incentives, with players earning over $530,000 each for winning the tournament.

The NBA Cup has a tiered prize money system that starts with each of the eight teams that reach the quarterfinal round. Every player on a quarterfinalist receives $50,000. The exact numbers beyond that are related to a formula called Basketball-Related Income.

The 2025 NBA Cup knockout stage begins on Tuesday night

The Boston Celtics became 18-time NBA champions in 2024, led by the dynamic duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. The Boston Celtics also put an end to their 16-year NBA Championship drought after lifting the Larry O’Brien trophy in 2024.

The Phoenix Suns face the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Cup quarterfinals on Dec. 10.

Last night, Kevin Harlan — a known subscriber to The Bounce, which makes him an official Bouncer — mentioned me during the NBA on Prime broadcast and shouted out the great work The Athletic did with our front-office rankings. Is this insufferable for me to point out? Probably! But he’s my favorite announcer of all time, so I’m going with it.

Former NBA champions debate on whether Giannis Antetokounmpo is a coward for not requesting a trade so far.

The first week of the 2025-26 NBA season is through and, already, there’s no shortage of compelling story lines at work.