Bright Lights, Big Hoops: NBA Cup Semifinals Heat Up Las Vegas

The Emirates NBA Cup Semifinals and Finals are back for its third season, bringing adrenaline fueled action to Las Vegas.

Formerly known as the In-Season Tournament, the competition gives teams a shot at an extra title while delivering must-watch, single-elimination drama for fans. After games across NBA markets nationwide, the action landed in Las Vegas, where T-Mobile Arena hosted the Semifinals on Saturday, with the Championship game set for Tuesday. 

The Blast was in attendance for the Western Conference Semifinals game on Saturday evening, where the San Antonio Spurs faced Oklahoma City Thunder in an exciting do or die game. The Blast also made a stop for the glitz and glam of the red carpet ahead of the game. 

Formerly known as the In-Season Tournament, the Emirates NBA Cup is about to conclude its third season. This annual competition gives players and teams the chance to compete for an additional championship during the early regular season. All games up to the Semifinals and Championship are played in NBA team markets.

Eight teams advanced to the Knockout Rounds, featuring single-elimination games in the Quarterfinals. The Semifinals were held in Las Vegas on Saturday, Dec. 13 and the Championship is set for Tuesday, Dec. 16.

"The Emirates NBA Cup establishes a new championship tradition that resonates with teams, players, partners, and fans, while creating meaningful games early in the regular season, taking inspiration from global competitions in many overseas sports. Fundamentally, what we've done is taken regular season games and heightened the stakes," Kelly Flatow, Executive Vice President, Head of Global Events at the NBA told The Blast exclusively.

"What's remarkable is the tournament builds excitement in the early part of the regular season. It gives our teams and fans a Play-off-like atmosphere in the early part of the season. The buy in has been remarkable since its first year, and we're thrilled to carry the momentum into year three with Prime Video entering the fold."

When the question of "why Las Vegas" for the Semifinals and Championship entered the chat, Flatow said, "Las Vegas has proven itself as a premier destination for professional sports. Our own experience with NBA Summer League demonstrates the enthusiasm the market generates, and the city's embrace of the WNBA Aces confirms that Veas certainly loves its basketball."

Flatow told The Blast that viewership was "up 90% from last year and the most watched Group Play in the event's three-year history." She also shared that "more than 40 million people in the U.S. watched Emirates NBA Cup 2025 Group Play across Amazon Prime Video, NBC/Peacock, and ESPN."

Fans lucky enough to be in Vegas for the Semifinals and Championship get some added bonuses. They can visit Toshiba Plaza, right outside of T-Mobile Arena, before the games to participate in some fun, interactive activities. Between Semifinal games on Saturday, Nas headlined Amazon's "In the Paint" concert.

One change that's being made for the 2026-27 season is the higher-seeded team in each conference will host its respective Semifinal game instead of playing in Vegas. This change is designed to give fans in the team markets the chance to experience the high-energy game close to home.

Before each of the Semifinals games, the red carpet was where the stars could be found.

Players arriving for the game walked the red carpet to get into the arena, as well as other current and former players who were attending to watch the game.  Many stopped for photos and interviews before heading into the arena.

Between the Eastern Conference and Western Conference Semifinals games, Nas gave a free performance in Toshiba Plaza that joined together generations of fans. Singing many of his hits and a few new songs, he had the crowd hyped up between games.

So, who's going to the Championship game on Tuesday? The New York Knicks beat the Orlando Magic for the Eastern Conference and the San Antonio Spurs won over the Oklahoma City Thunder for the Western Conference.

The Blast was at the Western Conference game and let's just say it was an amazing matchup. There was no lack of excitement and both teams really put on a great show for fans. The score was close throughout the entire game but in the end, the Spurs got the win and advance to the Championship on Tuesday.

Now that the NBA Cup season is coming to a close, basketball fans can start to put their attention to the upcoming NBA All-Star Weekend - February 13-15, 2026, in Los Angeles.

"All-Star is a fan-first, week-long celebration that goes far beyond the games themselves with something for everyone from our immersive fan experience, NBA Crossover to our skills competitions on All-Star Saturday and this year a high-end culinary event called Champions Table," Flatow told The Blast. "The All-Star Game - featuring a U.S. vs. World format - is a nod to our increasingly global fanbase and we couldn't be more thrilled to be debuting this new format alongside NBC."

Some of the excitement of All-Star Weekend includes Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, Castrol Rising Stars, HBCU Classic, and NBA Crossover, which will feature customized experiences, player appearances, creative collabs and more.