In tonight’s NBA Cup semifinal games, we’re going to see the New York Knicks face the Orlando Magic before the San Antonio Spurs take on the Oklahoma City Thunder. These games will be played at the T-Mobile Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The two winners will then clash in the finals on Tuesday, December 16., when $530,933 per player will be on the line.
My daily NBA workload generally features a story on sides/totals and another story on player props. However, with only two games on the card, I’m dropping all of my plays below. That said, keep reading for my NBA Cup picks and predictions for Saturday, December 13.
RELATED: Check out the Pro Picks page for more selections from our talented VSiN hosts and analysts!
NBA Best Bets Today – Saturday, December 13
Knicks -4.5 (-118) vs. Magic
Knicks vs. Magic – 5:30 pm ET
The Knicks are 10-3 straight-up and 9-4 against the spread as favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points this season. They’re also coming into this game having won-and-covered in eight of their last nine games. Meanwhile, the Magic might be coming off a 117-108 win-and-cover against the Heat in the opening round of the NBA Cup knockout stage, but they had failed to cover in four consecutive games before that. Also, under Jamahl Mosley, Orlando is 23-29-2 ATS when facing teams that outrebound opponents by at least 3.0 boards per game.
This Magic team will also be without Franz Wagner for a couple of weeks. That didn’t bother Orlando against Miami in the first round, but New York is an entirely different beast. The Knicks are fourth in the NBA in adjusted offensive rating (120.4), so this is an elite offensive team. That means that Wagner’s presence will be missed on the defensive end, where he’s one of the best defensive players on one of the league’s best defensive teams. Without him, Orlando could struggle to get stops. This is a team that has already been torched by jalen Brunson several times this year. Adding in some better performances for New York’s wings could make this somewhat lopsided.
The Knicks also have some good, physical players to throw on Paolo Banchero, who will be the main source of offense for the Magic moving forward. I also think New York has a big advantage at the center position, even if I’m a little higher on Wendell Carter Jr. than most.
Overall, if Wagner was healthy, I would view this as an awesome matchup — especially with this game being played on a neutral court. However, the Knicks are better than the Magic when both teams are at full strength. That said, with Orlando missing a top-20 player in the NBA, it’s hard to see this game being competitive.
The Knicks are also a feisty group. They’re probably dying for an opportunity to take on the Thunder on a big stage. They should come out flying here.
NBA Player Props Today – Saturday, December 13
Jalen Brunson Over 29.5 Points (-104) vs. Magic
Knicks vs. Magic – 5:30 pm ET
Brunson comes into this game having scored at least 30 points in three consecutive games. He’s also averaging 35.3 points per game in the four games he has played without Miles McBride, who is out for the Knicks in this one. There’s just a very good chance that Mike Brown will need to play Brunson close to 40 minutes in this game, meaning he should turn in a big performance as a scorer.
Brunson is actually averaging 31.3 points per game in three meetings with the Magic this season, and New York’s superstar has scored 30 in all of the matchups with Orlando. For as good as this Magic team can be defensively, they’re actually just 28th in the NBA when it comes to defending short mid-range shots. That’s how Brunson does a lot of his damage. Orlando is also rather weak when it comes to defending pull-up jumpers. Well, Brunson scores 46% of his points on those shots.
This is also a Magic team that should be a little weaker defensively without Wagner. And while Wagner might not be the guy that actually spends most of the time defending Brunson, the entire Orlando defense will likely look worse without a high-level wing stopper.
De’Aaron Fox Over 5.5 Assists (+105) vs. Thunder
Spurs vs. Thunder – 9:00 pm ET
The Spurs have a lot of mouths to feed in the backcourt. Fox is a former All-Star and All-NBA Third Teamer, but head coach Mitch Johnson also has to find on-ball opportunities for Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper. Figuring out all of that will be a balancing act all season long. However, in a game of this magnitude, it’s a little hard to envision Fox being the one to take a back seat. After all, this is the 2023 Clutch Player of the Year that we’re talking about. With that in mind, I like the idea of playing Fox to finish with six assists — especially at the current odds.
Victor Wembanyama will surely be on a minutes restriction in his return to action, but Fox has 10 assists on 14 potential assists the last time he played a game with the highly talented big man. The southpaw is just so good at attacking and getting two feet in the paint, and the Spurs have a ton of players that can cash in on the passes he makes when attacking. Wembanyama is one of them. His size makes him an elite play-finisher around the basket, plus he can step out and knock down jumpers. However, San Antonio also happens to have some good 3-point shooters, making Fox a dangerous drive-and-kick player.
Of course, the Thunder are the best defensive team in basketball, by far. Also, Fox didn’t have a single six-assist game against Oklahoma City last year. But this is a different San Antonio team. The Spurs are sixth in the NBA in offensive rating (118.6), so they should be able to find a way to generate good looks — even in a difficult matchup. And Fox should be at the forefront of all of that.
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2025-26 NBA Record: 166-158 (+5.38 units)
