NBA Cup 2025 Top Storylines for Wednesday's Quarterfinals Bracket
The biggest storylines for Wednesday's NBA Cup quarterfinals are injury related.
Devin Booker was upgraded to questionable on Tuesday for the Phoenix Suns' clash with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Victor Wembanyama will not play for the San Antonio Spurs in their battle with the Los Angeles Lakers.
OKC and the Lakers would have been favored to win with healthy stars on the other bench, but with the Suns and Spurs in their current state, it would be a shock to not see the Thunder and Lakers in Las Vegas for Saturday's semifinals.
How Impactful Can Devin Booker Be, If He Plays?
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The Suns have been without Devin Booker for two games while he recovers from a groin injury.
They lost by 19 points to the Houston Rockets, but then beat the Minnesota Timberwolves on the road in the two games without Booker.
With Booker on the floor, the Suns hung with the Thunder for the entirety of their NBA Cup group-stage game on November 28.
Booker scored 21 points and contributed eight rebounds and six assists, while five other Suns worked their way into double figures.
Phoenix needs a similar effort to counter whatever Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Co. throw at it.
OKC reeled off four wins of eight points or more since its last meeting with the Suns.
The reigning NBA champion is playing like a machine right now with no end in sight to their 15-game winning streak.
Even with Booker on the court, the Suns might get steamrolled, but if he plays, he gives the Suns a superstar playmaker to counter whatever SGA produces on Wednesday night.
Can Spurs Beat Lakers Without Wemby?
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The Spurs have dealt with Victor Wembanyama's injury absence as well as they could.
The De'Aaron Fox-led Spurs are 8-3 since Wemby suffered his injury in the November 14 loss to the Golden State Warriors.
Fox has been incredible during Wemby's absence, and he'll have to score around 30 points on Wednesday to combat what Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves produce.
San Antonio needs its role players to step up alongside Fox for a proper challenge to occur.
Devin Vassell recently had 35 points in a win over the Denver Nuggets and Harrison Barnes scored over 20 points twice in the last four games.
An uptick in scoring from Vassell and Barnes, as well as some contributions from the younger players on the roster, will help the Spurs stay in the game.
The Lakers are beatable, but for that result to occur, the Spurs need one of their best defensive performances of the season to slow down one or both of Doncic and Reaves.
