09-07-2025
Suns to face MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, NBA champion Thunder in 2025 NBA Cup
The Phoenix Suns are going to have their hands full trying to reach the 2025 NBA Cup's knockout round.
The Suns are in West Group A with the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves, Sacramento Kings and Utah Jazz. They host Minnesota and Utah and play at Oklahoma City and Sacramento.
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The No. 1 overall seeded Thunder defeated the T-Wolves in the Western Conference finals before taking down the Indiana Pacers in the finals.
NBA Cup group play begins on Oct. 31 and ends Nov. 28. The quarterfinals are Dec. 9-10, followed by the semifinals on Dec. 13 and the championship game on Dec. 16.
The semifinals and finals are in Las Vegas.
Phoenix is coming off a 36-win season in which it missed the playoffs for the first time since the 2019-20 season, which was the last time it had a losing record.
The Suns went a combined 5-10 against the Thunder (0-3), T-Wolves (0-4), Kings (1-3) and Jazz (4-0). They were in West Group B last year with the Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs, Thunder and Jazz.
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Phoenix went 3-1, losing to OKC, but failed to make the knockout round/quarterfinals. The Suns advanced to the quarterfinals as a wild card in the inaugural year of what was then called the In-Season Tournament, losing to the Lakers in Los Angeles.
The Lakers won the inaugural tournament in 2023, topping the Pacers in the title game. Los Angeles beat Phoenix in group play and the knockout round.
The Bucks took it in 2024, beating the Thunder. So, the runner-up teams from the first two tournaments ended up facing each other in the 2025 finals.
Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@ or contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Suns to face NBA champion Thunder, Timberwolves in 2025 NBA Cup
