By NBA Insiders | ESPN, 2025-12-09 20:00:00
随着11月28日小组赛的落幕，2025年阿联酋航空NBA杯四分之一决赛将于周二拉开战幕。四组对决将决出周六前往拉斯维加斯参加半决赛的最终名额。
首先，迈阿密热火将客场挑战奥兰多魔术，随后多伦多猛龙将在主场迎战纽约尼克斯。这两场比赛的胜者将代表东部出线。西部对决将于周三进行，届时战绩为23胜1负的俄克拉荷马城雷霆将主场迎战菲尼克斯太阳，而洛杉矶湖人则将坐镇主场对阵圣安东尼奥马刺。
魔术队将不得不在缺少明星球员弗朗茨·瓦格纳 (Franz Wagner) 的情况下争取晋级，他在周日的比赛中因高位脚踝扭伤离场。不过，对魔术的好消息是，保罗·班凯罗 (Paolo Banchero) 已从11月12日遭遇的腹股沟伤势中恢复过来。在西部，卢卡·东契奇 (Luka Doncic) 在因女儿出生缺席两场比赛后，也已回归湖人队。尽管勒布朗·詹姆斯 (LeBron James) 连续出战1297场的纪录于周四终结，但他和湖人队仍有机会成为史上首支两度捧起NBA杯的冠军球队。
在西部，有谁能阻挡雷霆的脚步？瓦格纳的伤病是否会破灭奥兰多进军拉斯维加斯的希望？我们的NBA内部专家将在四分之一决赛前，为您解答这些最受关注的问题。
东部联盟
热火 vs 魔术 | 美国东部时间下午6点，Prime
弗朗茨·瓦格纳的伤病将如何影响魔术队对阵热火以及未来的比赛？
奥兰多终于迎来全员健康——可惜仅仅维持了一场比赛。
魔术队苦等了23天，终于在上周五盼来了明星球员保罗·班凯罗从腹股沟拉伤中回归。然而不到48小时后，弗朗茨·瓦格纳便遭遇了左脚高位脚踝扭伤，这极大地改变了周二NBA杯四分之一决赛的局势。尽管消息人士告诉ESPN，魔术队在瓦格纳的伤情上得到了最好的消息——核磁共振检查（MRI）显示没有结构性损伤——但奥兰多仍将在缺少这位发挥最稳定的球员的情况下，迎战他们的州内德比对手。瓦格纳本赛季场均贡献22.7分，6.1个篮板创下生涯新高，并且三分命中率从上赛季的29.5%提升至36.0%，这也是魔术队能够在缺少班凯罗的情况下取得7胜3负战绩的重要原因。
现在，班凯罗无法慢慢找回状态，而是需要立即扛起进攻重担，同时辅以德斯蒙德·贝恩 (Desmond Bane) 和杰伦·萨格斯 (Jalen Suggs) 的得分和外线投射。安东尼·布莱克 (Anthony Black) 本赛季已经扮演了重要角色，在瓦格纳可能缺阵未来两到四周的情况下，他的全能性对魔术队的生存至关重要。在周五以106-105战胜迈阿密的比赛中，瓦格纳砍下32分，而回归的班凯罗在20分钟内仅出手8次，得到9分。在周日不敌尼克斯的比赛中，他24分钟内11投得到16分，班凯罗的进攻状态在杯赛八强战前正缓慢回升。
尽管奥兰多将缺少一名顶级得分手，但迈阿密后卫泰勒·希罗 (Tyler Herro)（脚趾伤）大概率出战，达维恩·米切尔 (Davion Mitchell)（腹股沟伤）预计也将登场。热火队在过去五场比赛中输掉了四场，但希罗的可能回归以及瓦格纳的缺阵，或许能为迈阿密进军拉斯维加斯提供所需的动力。– Ohm Youngmisuk
尼克斯 vs 猛龙 | 美国东部时间晚上8:30，Prime
尼克斯能否带上他们火热的进攻？卡尔-安东尼·唐斯会参与其中吗？
在本赛季的前23场比赛中，纽约的进攻如同一部高效的机器——进攻效率高居联盟第三，场均三分命中数位列第四。而且，尼克斯与猛龙交锋的时机恰到好处，多伦多在经历了一段火热的13胜1负、使其排名在分区飙升的时期后，过去六场比赛输掉了五场。更糟糕的是，猛龙队将缺少前锋RJ·巴雷特 (RJ Barrett)，球队宣布他因膝盖扭伤将至少再缺阵一周。
但对尼克斯来说，只有一个问题：这场NBA杯四分之一决赛是在多伦多举行。在离开麦迪逊广场花园后，尼克斯的进攻就蜕变成了联盟平均水平（客场战绩仅为3胜6负）。
纽约队或许还将缺少大个子唐斯，他因小腿伤势被列为出战成疑，并因此缺席了周日的胜利。尽管攻防悍将OG·阿奴诺比 (OG Anunoby) 在因腿筋拉伤缺席九场比赛后，于周日对阵魔术的比赛中复出打了23分钟，但如果唐斯的伤病不仅仅是缺席一场比赛，那么阿奴诺比的回归所带来的喜悦也会大打折扣。
唐斯本赛季至今的表现并非最佳。自训练营前夕被明尼苏达森林狼交易至纽约后，这是他在这里的第一个赛季，他所有的进攻数据都相较上赛季有所下滑。这或许是因为需要适应新教练迈克·布朗 (Mike Brown) 的进攻体系，在这个体系中，唐斯在不同的位置接球，而其他球员，如前锋米卡尔·布里奇斯 (Mikal Bridges)，则更多地被赋予进攻组织者的角色。– Vincent Goodwill
通往半决赛之路
就在上周，迈阿密和奥兰多上演了一场杯赛四分之一决赛的预演，当时魔术队在班凯罗伤愈复出的首场比赛中，主场以106-105险胜。（魔术队在本赛季揭幕战中也于主场击败了热火。）
这两支佛罗里达球队上周都曾状态火热，但此后均有所降温：奥兰多曾打出一波9胜2负的高潮，但在过去三场比赛中输掉了两场；而迈阿密则在经历了一波六连胜后，战绩仅为1胜4负。
多伦多同样是跌跌撞撞地进入了杯赛四分之一决赛，他们在取得九连胜后，过去六场比赛输掉了五场。但尼克斯正打出赛季最佳表现，以一波7胜1负的战绩进入本周——当然，这也得益于相对轻松的赛程。尼克斯过去七场胜利中有五场是战胜了胜率不足五成的球队；唯一的例外是奥兰多和多伦多，尼克斯在11月30日以116-94大胜了后者。
这两场东部四分之一决赛也是潜在的季后赛预演。从现在到常规赛结束，东部联盟混乱的排名很可能会发生多次变动，但根据ESPN篮球实力指数（BPI）的预测，目前奥兰多最有可能成为迈阿密的首轮对手，而纽约则是多伦多最有可能的敌人。– Zach Kram
西部联盟
太阳 vs 雷霆 | 美国东部时间下午7:30，Prime
雷霆还会再输球吗？
这说法有点夸张，但俄克拉荷马城确实是一支历史级别的超级强队。尽管因伤缺阵的比赛场次高居联盟第二，雷霆队仍成为NBA历史上第三支在前24场比赛中至少赢下23场的球队，比肩2015-16赛季的金州勇士和1969-70赛季的纽约尼克斯。俄克拉荷马城场均净胜分高达+16.1分，有望打破其上赛季创造的+12.9分的队史纪录。自本赛季唯一一败（11月5日在波特兰，开拓者在落后22分的情况下逆转击败了背靠背第二场且缺少多名核心球员的雷霆）以来，雷霆已豪取15连胜。
自那场失利以来，菲尼克斯是给雷霆制造最大麻烦的对手。在11月28日的杯赛小组赛收官战中，他们在Paycom中心将15分的分差缩小到仅差1分。但随后，谢伊·吉尔杰斯-亚历山大 (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) 在最后2分40秒内独得其全场37分中的10分，终结了比赛。
本赛季，能让卫冕MVP打满第四节本身就是一项成就，吉尔杰斯-亚历山大总共也只经历了11次这样的情况。但将比赛拖入胶着只会激发出雷霆最强的一面，他们在关键时刻（最后五分钟或加时赛内，分差在五分以内）的净效率高达+41.4，遥遥领先于联盟其他球队。– Tim MacMahon
马刺 vs 湖人 | 美国东部时间晚上10点，Prime
没有维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama)，马刺能应付卢卡·东契奇和湖人吗？
有可能，但这绝非易事。尽管上一次交手时，圣安东尼奥有健康的文班亚马在阵，东契奇依然打爆了马刺的防线，拿下准三双数据，而当时主要负责防守他的是斯蒂芬·卡斯尔 (Stephon Castle)。尽管湖人队以一波21-0的攻击波结束比赛，圣安东尼奥在比赛还剩0.2秒时仍有机会追平比分——但朱利安·尚帕尼 (Julian Champagnie) 两罚不中。二次进攻得分是两队首次交锋中的关键因素，洛杉矶在这项数据上以28-11遥遥领先圣安东尼奥。
湖人大个子德安德烈·艾顿 (Deandre Ayton) 13投9中得到22分并抢下10个篮板，而文班亚马则在大部分时间里陷入犯规麻烦，并最终犯满离场。这位法国天才预计不会出战本场比赛，他正在从拉伤的小腿中恢复。老将大个子卢克·科内特 (Luke Kornet) 很可能会成为圣安东尼奥的防守中坚，他场均贡献2.1次封盖，并在12月3日对阵奥兰多的比赛中送出一次制胜封盖。作为一名自由球员签约，科内特帮助马刺在缺少文班亚马的情况下取得了7胜2负的战绩，他在内线拼抢凶悍，应该能与艾顿很好地抗衡。
圣安东尼奥对于东契奇可能依然没有太多办法，或许不得不在让他得分或助攻之间做出选择。而随着勒布朗·詹姆斯——他在两队首次交锋时缺阵——回归阵容，这项任务变得更加艰巨。– Michael C. Wright
通往半决赛之路
在输掉2024年NBA杯决赛（对手是密尔沃基雄鹿）后，雷霆队在本赛季以23胜1负的开局，毫无疑问是这次的夺冠热门。
我们可能会在西部赛区看到季后赛的预演。ESPN的BPI预测目前显示，菲尼克斯是雷霆最有可能的首轮对手，并暗示湖人或马刺都可能是其合理的第二轮对手。
尽管太阳队取胜将是一个巨大的冷门，但在拉斯维加斯的半决赛可能会给雷霆带来更大的挑战。湖人队在中立场地也享有事实上的主场优势，而马刺队由一位冉冉升起的新星带领所取得的突破性赛季，让人回想起两年前的俄克拉荷马城。
湖人队确实在2024-25赛季常规赛中给了雷霆最惨痛的一场失利，他们在四月份凭借东契奇的30分，在俄克拉荷马城以126-99取胜。两天后，雷霆轻松回敬了一场胜利，但东契奇的身材和技术一直让他成为俄克拉荷马城（以及其他所有球队）的难解之题。
如果文班亚马能从自11月17日起就一直缺阵的左小腿拉伤中恢复，那么一场马刺对雷霆的比赛将可能重燃切特·霍姆格伦 (Chet Holmgren) 与文班亚马之间的对决，这段竞争可以追溯到2021年FIBA U19世界杯决赛。由于伤病原因，这两位技术出色的年轻中锋自新秀赛季以来仅交手过一次。在那场2024年10月的比赛中，文班亚马表现挣扎，5投1中仅得到6分。– Kevin Pelton
由生成式人工智能翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
点击查看原文：NBA Cup quarterfinal preview: Everything you need to know about each matchup
NBA Cup quarterfinal preview: Everything you need to know about each matchup
The 2025 Emirates NBA Cup quarterfinals kick off Tuesday after group play concluded Nov. 28. Four matchups will decide who punches a ticket to the semifinals in Las Vegas on Saturday.
First, the Miami Heat visit the Orlando Magic before the Toronto Raptors host the New York Knicks. The winner of each game will represent the East. The Western Conference matchups are on Wednesday, when the 23-1 Oklahoma City Thunder will host the Phoenix Suns and the Los Angeles Lakers will host the San Antonio Spurs.
The Magic will have to advance without star Franz Wagner, who left Sunday’s game because of a high ankle sprain. The good news for the Magic, though, is that Paolo Banchero is back from a groin injury he suffered on Nov. 12. In the West, Luka Doncic is back for the Lakers after missing two games for the birth of his daughter. And while LeBron James saw his 1,297-game streak come to an end on Thursday, he and the Lakers have the chance to become the first two-time NBA Cup champions.
Can anyone stop the Thunder in the West? And will Wagner’s injury dash Orlando’s hopes of reaching Las Vegas? Our NBA Insiders answer the biggest questions ahead of the quarterfinal matchups.
Eastern Conference
Heat at Magic | 6 p.m. ET, Prime
How will Franz Wagner’s injury affect the Magic against the Heat and moving forward?
Orlando was finally whole – for a game.
The Magic waited 23 days for star Paolo Banchero’s return from a groin strain on Friday. Less than 48 hours later, Franz Wagner sustained a left high ankle sprain, dramatically changing Tuesday’s NBA Cup quarterfinal. Though the Magic received the best news possible on Wagner’s injury – an MRI showed no structural damage, sources told ESPN – Orlando will face its in-state rival without its steadiest player. Wagner is averaging 22.7 points, a career-high 6.1 rebounds and has improved his 3-point shooting from 29.5% last season to 36.0%, a big reason the Magic were able to go 7-3 without Banchero.
Instead of being able to work his way back, Banchero will need to shoulder the offensive load immediately, supplemented with scoring and outside shooting from Desmond Bane and Jalen Suggs. Anthony Black has already played a major role this season, and his versatility will be vital for the Magic to survive without Wagner for potentially the next two to four weeks. Wagner had 32 points in Friday’s 106-105 win over Miami, while the returning Banchero added nine points on only eight shots in 20 minutes. After 16 points on 11 shots across 24 minutes in Sunday’s loss to the Knicks, Banchero’s offense is slowly trending up ahead of the Cup quarters.
Though Orlando will be without one of its top scorers, Miami guard Tyler Herro (toe) is probable and Davion Mitchell (groin) is expected to play. The Heat have lost four of their past five games, but Herro’s potential return and Wagner’s injury could provide the boost Miami needs to reach Vegas. – Ohm Youngmisuk
Knicks at Raptors | 8:30 p.m. ET, Prime
Did the Knicks bring their scorching offense, and will Karl-Anthony Towns be part of it?
New York’s offense has been a machine through the team’s first 23 games – third in the NBA in efficiency and fourth in made 3-pointers per game. The Knicks are also running into the Raptors at just the right time, as Toronto has dropped five of its past six games after a torrid 13-1 stretch that vaulted them up the conference standings. To make matters worse, the Raptors will be without forward RJ Barrett, who the team announced is sidelined at least another week because of a knee sprain.
But for the Knicks, there’s only one problem: This NBA Cup quarterfinal is in Toronto. The Knicks morph into a league average offense away from Madison Square Garden (just 3-6 on the road).
New York might also be without big man Towns, who is questionable because of a calf injury that held him out of Sunday’s win. Getting OG Anunoby back – the two-way force played 23 minutes Sunday against the Magic after sitting out nine games because of a hamstring strain – doesn’t quite feel as good if Towns’ injury turns into more than a one-game respite.
Towns hasn’t had the greatest season to date. All of his offensive numbers are down from last season, his first in New York after being traded by the Minnesota Timberwolves on the eve of training camp. Perhaps it’s the adjustment to new coach Mike Brown’s offense, in which Towns is getting the ball in different spots, and others are being featured more prominently as playmakers, such as forward Mikal Bridges. – Vincent Goodwill
Road to the semifinals
Miami and Orlando played a Cup quarterfinal preview just last week, with the Magic sneaking out a 106-105 victory at home in Banchero’s first game back from injury. (The Magic also beat the Heat at home on opening night.)
Both Florida teams were scorching last week but have since cooled off: Orlando went on a 9-2 run before dropping two of its past three games, while Miami followed a six-game win streak with a 1-4 stretch.
Toronto is also stumbling into the Cup quarterfinals, having lost five of its past six games after a nine-game winning streak. But the Knicks are playing their best basketball of the season, entering the week on a 7-1 run – granted, with the aid of a favorable schedule. Five of the Knicks’ past seven wins have come against teams with losing records; the only exceptions are Orlando and Toronto, which the Knicks blew out 116-94 on Nov. 30.
These two East quarterfinals are also potential playoff previews. The conference’s jumbled standings are likely to shift many times between now and the end of the regular season, but projections from ESPN’s Basketball Power Index now peg Orlando as Miami’s most likely first-round opponent, and New York as Toronto’s most likely foe. – Zach Kram
Western Conference
Suns at Thunder | 7:30 p.m. ET, Prime
Will the Thunder ever lose again?
That’s a bit hyperbolic, but Oklahoma City is a juggernaut of historical proportions. The Thunder, despite ranking second leaguewide in games missed because of injury, are the third team in NBA history to win at least 23 of their first 24 games, joining the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors and 1969-70 New York Knicks. Oklahoma City has an average point differential of plus-16.1 points, which is on pace to shatter its own record of plus-12.9 set last season. The Thunder have won 15 straight games since their lone loss of the season, which occurred in Portland on Nov. 5, when the Trail Blazers rallied from a 22-point deficit to beat an Oklahoma City squad that was without several core players on the second night of a back-to-back.
Phoenix gave OKC as much of a scare as any opponent since that loss, slicing a 15-point deficit to one in the final minutes of the Nov. 28 Cup group stage finale at Paycom Center. Then Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 10 of his game-high 37 points in the final 2:40.
It’s an accomplishment just to make the reigning MVP play in the fourth quarter this season, something Gilgeous-Alexander has done only 11 times. But keeping it close only brings out the best in the Thunder, whose plus-41.4 net rating in clutch situations (score within five points in the final five minutes or overtime) is by far the best in the league. – Tim MacMahon
Spurs at Lakers | 10 p.m. ET, Prime
Can the Spurs handle Luka Doncic and the Lakers without Victor Wembanyama?
It’s possible, but it won’t be easy. Despite San Antonio playing with a healthy Wembanyama, Doncic lit up the Spurs’ defense for a near triple-double with Stephon Castle taking on most of the responsibility of guarding him. Despite the Lakers finishing on a 21-0 run, San Antonio still had a chance to tie the score with 0.2 seconds left – but Julian Champagnie missed two free throws. Second-chance scoring figured prominently in the first matchup between the teams, with Los Angeles outscoring San Antonio 28-11 in that department.
Lakers big man Deandre Ayton shot 9-of-13 for 22 points and pulled down 10 rebounds while Wembanyama spent most of the game in foul trouble before eventually fouling out. The Frenchman isn’t expected to participate in this matchup as he recovers from a strained calf. Veteran big man Luke Kornet, who averaged 2.1 blocks with a game-saving swat on Dec. 3 at Orlando, probably will anchor San Antonio’s defense. Kornet, a free agent addition who has helped the Spurs post a 7-2 record without Wembanyama, flat-out battles in the paint and should fare well against Ayton.
San Antonio probably won’t have any more answers for Doncic and could have to choose between allowing him to either score or facilitate. That’s a task made even more difficult with LeBron James, who was sidelined during the teams’ first matchup, back in the lineup. – Michael C. Wright
Road to the semifinals
After losing the 2024 NBA Cup finals to the Milwaukee Bucks, the Thunder are the clear favorites this time amid a 23-1 start to the season.
We could see playoff previews in the West bracket. ESPN BPI projections currently show Phoenix as the Thunder’s most likely first-round opponent and suggest either the Lakers or Spurs as plausible second-round matchups.
Although a Suns win would be a huge upset, the semifinal in Vegas could provide the Thunder a greater challenge. The Lakers would be the de facto home team on a neutral court, and the Spurs’ breakthrough campaign led by a budding superstar is reminiscent of where Oklahoma City was two years ago.
The Lakers did hand the Thunder their largest loss during the 2024-25 regular season, winning 126-99 in Oklahoma City in April behind 30 points from Doncic. The Thunder responded with a comfortable win over L.A. two days later, but Doncic’s size and skill has always made him a difficult matchup for Oklahoma City (and everybody else).
A Spurs-Thunder matchup would potentially renew the rivalry between Chet Holmgren and Wembanyama, which dates to the 2021 FIBA U19 World Cup final, if the latter is back from the left calf strain that has kept him out since Nov. 17. Because of injuries, the two skilled young centers have met only once since their rookie seasons. Wembanyama struggled in that game, scoring six points on 1-of-5 shooting in October 2024. – Kevin Pelton
By NBA Insiders | ESPN, via ESPN