By Multiple contributors | ESPN, 2025-12-12 21:00:00
阿联酋航空NBA季中锦标赛已正式移师拉斯维加斯，这意味着半决赛和冠军赛即将拉开帷幕。
两组半决赛对决的熟悉程度可谓是天壤之别。纽约尼克斯队与奥兰多魔术队在周六的比赛将是两队本赛季的第四次交锋，也是过去一周内的第二次碰面；而俄克拉荷马城雷霆队与圣安东尼奥马刺队则是本赛季首次交手。
两场比赛同样看点十足，尼克斯和魔术都在竞争开放的东部霸主地位，而雷霆和马刺则在西部重燃宿怨。
这些球队是如何赢得他们的维加斯之旅的？哪些对位将决定半决赛的走向？维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 是否会回归，直面他的老对手切特·霍姆格伦 (Chet Holmgren)？
我们的NBA内部专家们将在周六的半决赛开始前，带来他们的深度见解。
他们是如何晋级的？
东部
纽约尼克斯
感觉尼克斯开启季中锦标赛征程已是恍如隔世，当时令人意外的芝加哥公牛队给了他们赛季首败。那场比赛暴露了两个问题：一是心态沮丧的约什·哈特 (Josh Hart)，他正受右手手指神经损伤的影响；二是尼克斯在客场无法取胜的窘境。
那场失利似乎预示着，那些不必要的困扰会一直纠缠着一支球队长达82场比赛，更不用说在赛季初的锦标赛中了。但尼克斯正在客场找回状态，他们在周二于多伦多以117-101的比分令人信服地击败对手，从而获得了半决赛资格。而重回首发阵容的哈特，一直是帮助尼克斯重回正轨的催化剂。
在11月中旬一场对阵迈阿密热火的季中锦标赛中，卡尔-安东尼·唐斯 (Karl-Anthony Towns) 打出了他本赛季数据最佳的一场比赛，贡献了39分、11个篮板和4次助攻。唐斯需要一场爆发来证明他能融入迈克·布朗 (Mike Brown) 的新进攻体系，该体系更注重球的转移，而非上赛季困扰尼克斯的偶尔停滞的打法。
尼克斯很幸运，他们将要面对缺少了弗朗茨·瓦格纳 (Franz Wagner) 的奥兰多魔术队，而且考虑到本赛季已经交手三次，包括周日以106-100获胜的比赛，熟悉度也对他们有利。
他们正越来越接近找到自己真正的球队定位，而魔术队可能是激发他们潜能的最佳对手。杰伦·布伦森 (Jalen Brunson) 始终是球队的稳定核心，他在多伦多上演了一场大师级的表演，首节便砍下全场最高的35分中的20分。在尼克斯过去的三场季中锦标赛中，他每场都至少得到30分，这一模式将在周六下午再次上演。 – 文森特·古德威尔 (Vincent Goodwill)
奥兰多魔术
魔术队成功闯入拉斯维加斯，尽管他们在季中锦标赛的大部分时间里都未能全员出战。尽管保罗·班凯罗 (Paolo Banchero) 缺席了四场小组赛中的三场，但魔术队仍在小组赛中保持不败，多名球员在不同时间挺身而出。在经历赛季初1胜4负的开局后，阵容深度和多功能性成为魔术队扭转颓势的关键因素，本赛季已有六名不同球员在比赛中领跑过奥兰多队的得分榜。
德斯蒙德·贝恩 (Desmond Bane) 是奥兰多的关键人物。自从他在11月10日一场非季中锦标赛中对阵波特兰开拓者队命中压哨绝杀后，魔术队取得了11胜4负的战绩。他的表现甚至超出了魔术队用四个无保护首轮签、一个首轮签互换权和两名球员从孟菲斯交易来他时的期望。他在11月28日客场对阵底特律活塞的比赛中得到37分，帮助奥兰多以112-109获胜并锁定小组头名，随后在季中锦标赛四分之一决赛中以117-108战胜迈阿密热火的比赛里再次砍下37分。
班凯罗已于三场比赛前回归，但魔术队在拉斯维加斯将缺少弗朗茨·瓦格纳。作为奥兰多队中最稳定的球员，瓦格纳因在12月8日遭遇的左脚踝高位扭伤而缺阵。
在战胜迈阿密热火的比赛中，班凯罗将出场时间提升至32分钟，奥兰多需要他和贝恩发挥出色，才有机会赢得季中锦标赛冠军。杰伦·萨格斯 (Jalen Suggs) 也必须在攻防两端都有出色表现，就像他对阵热火时贡献20分和积极防守那样，而温德尔·卡特 (Wendell Carter Jr.) 在内线的存在感在维加斯也将至关重要——他在四分之一决赛的胜利中贡献了14分和10个篮板。魔术队同样希望安东尼·布莱克 (Anthony Black) 和特里斯坦·达·席尔瓦 (Tristan da Silva) 的多功能性、活力和投射能力能够帮助弥补瓦格纳缺阵带来的损失。 – 奥姆·杨米苏克 (Ohm Youngmisuk)
西部
俄克拉荷马城雷霆
雷霆队凭借他们打造出追平联盟纪录的24胜1负开局的同样策略，连续第二个赛季锁定了前往拉斯维加斯的门票：既有酣畅淋漓的大胜，又在关键时刻展现了统治力。
俄克拉荷马城在季中锦标赛中取得5胜0负的战绩，平均净胜分高达24.8分。这一净胜分也因周三在四分之一决赛中以49分优势大胜菲尼克斯太阳队而大幅提升，这也是本赛季联盟至今最悬殊的比赛结果。
但雷霆队在通往维加斯的道路上也曾遇到过几次挑战，他们以分别领先31分和32分的客场大胜国王和爵士开启了季中锦标赛之旅。
但这反而激发出了这支俄克拉荷马城球队的最佳状态，他们在关键时刻的净效率值为+41.4，遥遥领先于联盟其他球队。
11月26日，明尼苏达森林狼队造访佩科姆中心，上演了一场西部决赛的重演。比赛剩余三分钟时，双方比分战平。随后，谢伊·吉尔杰斯-亚历山大 (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) 在半场抢断了丹特·迪文琴佐 (Donte DiVincenzo) 的球，并在转换进攻中上篮得分，帮助雷霆队取得领先并保持到终场。雷霆队联盟顶级的防守让森林狼在最后几分钟里只命中了一记投篮。
几天后，顽强的太阳队在关键时刻将15分的分差缩小到仅剩1分。在53分钟的关键时刻里砍下87分、领跑全联盟的吉尔杰斯-亚历山大，在最后2分40秒内独得10分，彻底终结了太阳队的希望。
当太阳队再次回到俄克拉荷马城时，比赛再无悬念。吉尔杰斯-亚历山大和雷霆队其他首发球员在第三节还剩3分32秒时便打卡下班，当时他们已手握41分的领先优势，轻松地连续第二年晋级NBA季中锦标赛半决赛。 – 蒂姆·麦克马洪 (Tim MacMahon)
圣安东尼奥马刺
马刺队在缺少维克托·文班亚马的情况下打了一半的NBA季中锦标赛小组赛，并在感恩节后的第二天，于客场丹佛以3胜1负的战绩锁定了西部C组的头名。在周六对阵俄克拉荷马城雷霆的半决赛前，一个引人关注的悬念是文班亚马能否出战，他自11月14日因左小腿拉伤以来一直没有上场。
这位三年级新星在本周初于新奥尔良客场归队，并于周日和周一连续参加了训练，之后在周三球队于洛杉矶赢得NBA季中锦标赛四分之一决赛对阵湖人的比赛前，又参加了两次训练。赛后，马刺队教练米奇·约翰逊 (Mitch Johnson) 表示，文班亚马很有可能在周六对阵卫冕冠军雷霆的比赛中复出。
“可能性非常大，”约翰逊告诉记者。“他今天练得很好。他的训练强度很大，我们得看看他（在周四）的身体反应如何。”
如果文班亚马能在拉斯维加斯出战，这将是他与俄克拉荷马城大个子切特·霍姆格伦的第五次交锋。在2024年10月两人上一次对决中，霍姆格伦曾限制文班亚马8投1中仅得6分。在这段可以追溯到2021年在拉脱维亚里加举行的美国对法国的U19 FIBA世界杯决赛的恩怨中，霍姆格伦对文班亚马的战绩为3胜1负。
有趣的是，文班亚马和霍姆格伦在NBA的首次交锋正是在首届季中锦标赛中。那场比赛，文班亚马15投4中得到8分，霍姆格伦10投3中得到9分，而俄克拉荷马城雷霆在谢伊·吉尔杰斯-亚历山大的28分和7次抢断的带领下，以123-87大胜圣安东尼奥马刺。 – 迈克尔·C·莱特 (Michael C. Wright)
焦点对决
奥兰多魔术 vs. 纽约尼克斯 (美国东部时间下午5:30，Prime Video直播)
本赛季奥兰多与纽约的三次交锋中出现了一个共同的主题。在前两场比赛中，魔术队均取得胜利，弗朗茨·瓦格纳场均得到32.5分，投篮命中率高达56%，而魔术队全队场均得到128.5分。然而，在第三场比赛中，瓦格纳遭遇了高位脚踝扭伤，仅出战7分钟，魔术队最终仅得到100分并输掉了比赛。
在季中锦标赛半决赛中，保罗·班凯罗和德斯蒙德·贝恩能否提供足够的火力来弥补瓦格纳的缺阵？贝恩在四分之一决赛中以37分领衔全队，但似乎班凯罗——他在今年魔术队对阵纽约的两场胜利中大部分时间缺席，然后在失利的那场比赛中11投仅4中——需要站出来，才能带领球队闯入决赛。 – 扎克·克拉姆 (Zach Kram)
圣安东尼奥马刺 vs. 俄克拉荷马城雷霆 (美国东部时间晚上9点，Prime Video直播)
圣安东尼奥后卫群的速度将是决定对阵俄克拉荷马城雷霆比赛走向的关键。湖人队对马刺队的全明星后卫德阿隆·福克斯 (De’Aaron Fox) 以及近期高顺位新秀斯蒂芬·卡斯尔 (Stephon Castle) 和迪伦·哈珀 (Dylan Harper) 的三人组束手无策，这三人在周三晚的比赛中合计43投24中，得到63分——这仅仅是本赛季他们三人同时保持健康的第二场比赛。
大多数球队都没有足够多的外线防守者来匹配圣安东尼奥这个充满活力的三人组。然而，雷霆队已经反复证明他们非同寻常。俄克拉荷马城雷霆的四名外线首发球员都是出色的防守者，而替补席上的亚历克斯·卡鲁索 (Alex Caruso) 可能更胜一筹。 – 凯文·佩尔顿 (Kevin Pelton)
专家冠军预测
鲍比·马克斯 (Bobby Marks): 雷霆 胜 尼克斯
克拉姆: 雷霆 胜 尼克斯
佩尔顿: 雷霆 胜 魔术
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 preview: Everything to know about each semifinal in Las Vegas
NBA Cup preview: Everything to know about each semifinal in Las Vegas
The Emirates NBA Cup has officially moved to Las Vegas, which means the semifinals and championship are upon us.
The two semifinal matchups are a contrast in familiarity. The New York Knicks-Orlando Magic game Saturday will be the fourth time the teams have met this season, and the second time in the past week, while the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs face each other for the first time this season.
Both games feature unique intrigue, as the Knicks and Magic are both vying for supremacy in a wide-open Eastern Conference and the Thunder and Spurs are renewing a rivalry in the Western Conference.
How did the teams earn their trip to Vegas? Which matchups will define the semifinals, and will Victor Wembanyama return to face his old rival Chet Holmgren?
Our NBA insiders give their insights ahead of Saturday’s semifinals.
How did they get here?
East
New York Knicks
It feels like worlds ago from when the Knicks began Cup play, as the then-surprising Chicago Bulls dealt them their first loss of the season. It highlighted two issues: a frustrated Josh Hart, who was dealing with the effects of a nerve injury on a finger in his right hand, and the Knicks’ inability to win on the road.
The loss seemed like a harbinger for all the unnecessary things that can haunt a team for 82 games, let alone an early-season tournament. But the Knicks are finding their way on the road, having qualified for the semifinals with a convincing 117-101 win in Toronto on Tuesday. And Hart, reinserted into the starting lineup after being a reserve, has been a catalyst in the Knicks righting the ship.
Karl-Anthony Towns had his best statistical game of the season, a 39-point, 11-rebound, four-assist showing against the Miami Heat in a mid-November NBA Cup game. Towns needed a breakout game to show he could fit into Mike Brown’s new offensive system, which focuses more on ball movement and not the occasional stagnant play that plagued the Knicks last season.
The Knicks are catching a break in playing the Orlando Magic without Franz Wagner, and there’s also the benefit of familiarity considering they’ve seen each other three times already this season, including a 106-100 win Sunday.
They’re getting closer to figuring out a true identity, and the Magic could be the best team to bring that out of them. Jalen Brunson has been the constant, and he had a masterpiece in Toronto with 20 of his game-high 35 points in the first quarter. He has scored at least 30 in the Knicks’ last three Cup games and that formula will be on display once again Saturday afternoon. – Vincent Goodwill
Orlando Magic
The Magic made it to Las Vegas even though they have not been at full strength for much of their NBA Cup run. Despite not having Paolo Banchero for three of their four Cup group games, the Magic went undefeated in group play, with multiple players stepping up at different times. Depth and versatility have been big pieces of the Magic’s turnaround after a 1-4 start to the season, as six different players have led Orlando in scoring in a game this season.
Desmond Bane has been the big difference-maker for Orlando. Since he drilled a buzzer-beating game winner against Portland in a non-Cup game on Nov. 10, the Magic are 11-4. He has been even more than the Magic hoped for when they traded four unprotected first-round picks, a first-round pick swap and two players to Memphis for him. He scored 37 points to help Orlando win its group in a 112-109 victory at Detroit on Nov. 28 and then dropped another 37 points during a 117-108 win against Miami in the NBA Cup quarterfinal.
Banchero returned three games ago, but the Magic will not have Franz Wagner available in Las Vegas. Wagner, Orlando’s steadiest player, is out with a high left ankle sprain suffered on Dec. 8.
Banchero ramped his minutes up to 32 during the win over Miami, and Orlando will need him and Bane to come up big to have any shot at winning the Cup. Jalen Suggs will also have to excel on both ends of the floor, like he did against Miami with 20 points and active defense, and Wendell Carter Jr.'s presence inside will be key in Vegas – he recorded 14 points and 10 rebounds in the quarterfinal win. The Magic are hoping Anthony Black’s and Tristan da Silva’s versatility, energy and shotmaking will help offset the loss of Wagner, as well. – Ohm Youngmisuk
West
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder punched their ticket to Vegas for the second straight season with the same blend they’ve used to build a record-tying 24-1 start: heavy on the blowouts with a bit of clutch dominance when necessary.
Oklahoma City went 5-0 in Cup play with an average margin of victory of 24.8 points. That point differential was padded by Wednesday’s 49-point win over the Phoenix Suns in the quarterfinals, the most lopsided result in the league so far this season.
But the Thunder, who opened Cup play with 31- and 32-point road routs over the Kings and Jazz, respectively, were challenged a couple of times en route to Vegas.
That only brought out the best in this Oklahoma City team, which has a plus-41.4 net rating in clutch situations – by far the best in the league.
The score was tied with three minutes remaining when the Minnesota Timberwolves visited Paycom Center on Nov. 26 in a Western Conference finals rematch. Then Shai Gilgeous-Alexander stole the ball from Donte DiVincenzo at half court and converted a layup in transition to give the Thunder the lead for good. OKC’s league-best defense held the Wolves to one field goal in the final few minutes.
A couple of nights later, the scrappy Suns sliced a 15-point deficit to one in crunch time. Gilgeous-Alexander, who leads the league with 87 clutch points in 53 minutes, slammed the door on the Suns with 10 points in the final 2:40.
There wasn’t any suspense when the Suns returned to OKC. Gilgeous-Alexander and the rest of the Thunder starters checked out with 3:32 to go in the third quarter, comfortable with a 41-point lead on their way to a second straight NBA Cup semifinals appearance. – Tim MacMahon
San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs played half of their NBA Cup group stage games without Victor Wembanyama, clinching the West Group C with a 3-1 record the day after Thanksgiving on the road at Denver. Adding to the intrigue going into Saturday’s semifinals matchup against Oklahoma City is the potential availability of Wembanyama, who hasn’t played since Nov. 14 because of a left calf strain.
The third-year star rejoined the team on the road in New Orleans at the start of the week and participated in back-to-back workouts Sunday and Monday, before taking in two more sessions in Los Angeles ahead of the team’s NBA Cup quarterfinals win over the Lakers on Wednesday. In the wake of the victory, Spurs coach Mitch Johnson indicated Wembanyama could be in play for a return Saturday against the defending champion Thunder.
“Very much so,” Johnson told reporters. “He had a really good day today. He had a very intense day, and we’ll have to see how he responds or reacts [on Thursday].”
If Wembanyama can play in Las Vegas, it would mark just his fifth matchup against Oklahoma City big man Chet Holmgren, who played a role in limiting him to six points on 1-of-8 shooting the last time the players faced off in October 2024. Holmgren owns a 3-1 record in the series against Wembanyama in a rivalry dating back to the 2021 U19 FIBA World Cup final between the United States and France in Riga, Latvia.
Interestingly, the first time Wembanyama and Holmgren clashed in the NBA was during the inaugural season of the in-season tournament. Wembanyama scored eight points on 4-of-15 shooting, and Holmgren had nine points on 3-of-10 from the floor on a night Oklahoma City dominated San Antonio 123-87 behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 28 points and seven steals. – Michael C. Wright
Matchup to watch
Orlando Magic vs. New York Knicks (5:30 p.m. ET, Prime)
A common theme has emerged from the three meetings Orlando and New York have already had this season. In the first two games, both Magic wins, Franz Wagner averaged 32.5 points on 56% shooting, and Orlando averaged 128.5 points as a team. In the third game, though, Wagner suffered a high ankle sprain and played just seven minutes, as Orlando managed only 100 points in a loss.
Can Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane supply enough scoring to compensate for Wagner’s absence in the Cup semifinal? Bane led the way with 37 points in the quarterfinal, but it seems likely that Banchero – who missed most of the Magic’s two wins against New York this year, then shot just 4-for-11 in their loss – will need to step up to boost his team to the final. – Zach Kram
San Antonio Spurs vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (9 p.m. ET, Prime)
The quickness of San Antonio’s guards against Oklahoma City looks pivotal. The Lakers had no answers for the Spurs’ trio of All-Star De’Aaron Fox and recent lottery picks Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper, who combined for 63 points on 24-of-43 shooting Wednesday night – just the second time all season all three have been healthy.
Most teams don’t have multiple perimeter defenders capable of matching up with San Antonio’s dynamic trio. Alas, the Thunder have repeatedly proved they’re not most teams. All four of Oklahoma City’s perimeter starters are capable defenders, and reserve Alex Caruso might be even better. – Kevin Pelton
Expert championship picks
Bobby Marks: Oklahoma City over New York
Kram: Oklahoma City over New York
Pelton: Oklahoma City over Orlando
By Multiple contributors | ESPN, via ESPN