The 2025 NBA Cup quarterfinals came to a close on Wednesday with the Western Conference half of the bracket. As expected, the Oklahoma City Thunder made easy work of the Phoenix Suns to improve to 24-1 on the season and tie the best 25-game start in league history. Later on, the San Antonio Spurs put together a brilliant offensive display to upset the Los Angeles Lakers.
On the Eastern Conference side of the bracket on Tuesday, the Orlando Magic came back from a 15-0 deficit to defeat their in-state rivals, the Miami Heat, while the surging New York Knicks used a dominant second quarter to race past the Toronto Raptors and win for the eighth time in their last nine games.
The semifinals of the NBA Cup are set for Saturday in Las Vegas:
Knicks vs. Magic, 5:30 p.m. ET — Amazon Prime
Spurs vs. Thunder, 9 p.m. ET — Amazon Prime
Before the Cup action resumes, here’s a look at the winners and losers from the quarterfinals:
Loser: Anyone in the Thunder’s way
The Thunder are the defending champs and were 23-1 entering Wednesday night, so there was no confusion about their status as the league’s best team. Still, their destruction of the Suns had to be demoralizing for the other 29 teams, and particularly those hoping to challenge for the title.
This was the first time the Thunder have had anything at stake in a single game since Game 7 of the Finals, and if this is what it looks like when they actually step on the gas, good luck to everyone else. Sure, the Suns were shorthanded, but the gap between the Thunder and the next best teams looks bigger than ever.
The Thunder have now won a franchise record 16 games in a row, and their 24-1 start is tied for the best in NBA history with the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors. Their 49-point win on Wednesday was the biggest margin of victory in the league this season and was their fifth win already by 30-plus points (the record in a season is 10).
If you want more proof of their dominance, check out this stat, courtesy of Ben Golliver:
Winner: Stephon Castle
Stephon Castle was the near-unanimous Rookie of the Year last season, but was dismissed in some corners as simply the best of a bunch of bad options. But while his class may not go down as an all-timer, Castle has proven this season that he was no charity case. His effort on Wednesday night to lead the Spurs to the semifinals was his latest piece of evidence.
Castle, who only recently returned from a hip flexor injury that sidelined him for over three weeks, finished with a season-high 30 points, 10 rebounds and six assists on 10-of-14 shooting from the field, including 3 of 6 from 3-point range. He was all over the place on both sides of the ball, and joined Tim Duncan and Victor Wembanyama as the only Spurs players to have a 30/10/5 game at age 21 or younger.
Wembanyama and No. 2 overall pick Dylan Harper rightfully receive so much attention, but Castle’s performance against the Lakers was a strong reminder that he’s a big piece of the Spurs’ future, too.
Loser: The Lakers’ defense
The Lakers entered Wednesday night’s quarterfinal with the 21st-ranked defense in the league (116.2 defensive rating). That number is only going to look worse after their no-show against the Spurs.
The Spurs poured in 39 points in the first quarter and never looked back. They crossed the 30-point mark in each of the first three quarters — they