Sunday’s NBA games on December 14, 2025 gave fans a little bit of everything. Some teams stepped up on the road. Others fell apart late. Defense won a few games, while execution decided the close ones.

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

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 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.

December 12 brings a busy night of NBA action with several interesting matchups. Some teams look to extend their strong starts while others try to snap tough losing streaks. The odds give a clear picture of where each game might lean,

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.

The Los Angeles Clippers haven’t had much to celebrate this season, but star point guard James Harden at least has one accomplishment this season. With 34 points in a loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, Harden passed former teammate Carmelo Anthony for 10th place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.