December 15 brings a full NBA slate with important conference matchups and several games that could shape the scenario before the holiday stretch. Some teams arrive red hot, while others are searching for answers after recent struggles.

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

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.

Victor Wembanyama headlines the Spurs' Saturday night injury report for their NBA Cup semifinal matchup against the Thunder

Following the pushback from Kyle Kuzma and Kevin Porter Jr., the NBA world was left confused on whether or not this even happened. Former NBA players Kendrick Perkins and Richard Jefferson saw this incident and decided to address it on their podcast, ‘The Road Trippin Show,’ with Channing Frye and Allie Clifton.