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Knicks capture 2025 NBA Cup title with dramatic 124-113 win over Spurs

While celebrations for an NBA Cup title stick in the craw of basketball purists, the Knicks need to dust off their trophy case and find room for a new piece of hardware.

The Knicks were crowned champions of the league's in-season tournament on Tuesday night, as they outlasted the Spurs, 124-113, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

By winning the finals matchup, Knicks players earned a cash prize of $530,933 each. Fans can also count on a banner being raised to the Madison Square Garden rafters -- head coach Mike Brown said as much before the game.

Here are the takeaways...

-- The incentive to compete was clear from the jump, as both teams played up-tempo and produced runs in a closely contested first quarter. After making three of the game's first four buckets, the Knicks allowed the Spurs to score nine unanswered points, and the heat-check also occurred without superstar Victor Wembanyama -- hecame off the bench midway through the opening period, under a minutes restriction. But the Knicks regrouped with help from OG Anunoby, who added 10 points on two-made threes. After one, the Spurs led by two, 30-28.

-- There was no change of pace in the second quarter. The Spurs kept their foot on the gas, extending their lead to seven at the halfway mark by forcing turnovers and spreading the floor in transition. They also saw De'Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle work as catalysts, contributing 15 combined assists. But the Knicks stayed in striking distance, cutting their deficit to one with 2:28 left in the half and knotting the score at 59-59 in the final minute. While the Spurs entered the break ahead by two, Anunoby flexed his muscles by adding another 10 points (20 total).

-- It took just two minutes of third-quarter action to notice an energy shift. The Spurs returned from the locker room with tenacity, orchestrating a quick 9-2 run that forced the Knicks to call timeout. By the halfway point, the Knicks' deficit reached double-digits, and to add injury to insult, Karl-Anthony Towns hurt his left leg after driving to the hoop on a contested layup. While the Knicks' star received treatment on the bench, Wembanyama took advantage of his limited time with the rock, finishing the quarter with 13 points (16 total). Still, the Knicks kept things tight, finishing the quarter on an 8-2 run to trim their deficit to 94-89.

-- The fourth quarter opened with a complete role reversal. Behind a pair of threes from Jordan Clarkson off the bench, the Knicks caught fire with eight unanswered points in 93 seconds that extended their run to 16-2, placed them ahead by three, and forced the Spurs to use a timeout. After the break, the Knicks stretched their lead to 104-97 on a three from Anunoby and a pair of jumpers from Jalen Brunson, who delivered a relatively quiet 23 points up until that point. With 4:49 remaining, Towns surprisingly checked back in after spending more than 10 minutes on the bench. The broadcast crew reported moments earlier that Towns had reaggravated a lingering calf issue.

-- Josh Hart gave the Knicks their largest lead of the night with 2:58 left, draining a three with a noticeable limp from the left wing to push the score to 115-107. Then, after a three from Harper that cut the Spurs' deficit to five, Anunoby took charge again with a corner three that widened the margin back to eight. The momentum swing placed the Spurs in a closing-minutes hole they simply couldn't climb out of, and when the final buzzer sounded, the Knicks were crowned winners of the third NBA Cup.

-- From start to finish, the pace was intense. Both teams combined for 204 shots, and the Knicks made just one more three (15) than the Spurs (14). The difference was seen on the boards, as the Knicks out-rebounded the Spurs, 59-42, and scored 12 more points in the paint. The Knicks' leader on the glass was Mitchell Robinson, who racked up 15 boards in 18 minutes. Towns wound up playing 30 minutes, adding 16 points. The early fourth-quarter swing gave the Knicks a jolt -- they outscored the Spurs, 35-19, during the 12-minute stretch.

Game MVP: OG Anunoby

Anunoby found a groove early and never gave it up. He finished with a game-high 28 points on 10-of-17 shooting with eight rebounds and three assists. It was Brunson who earned NBA Cup MVP honors, however -- he scored 25 on 11-of-27 shooting with eight assists and four boards.

Highlights

Up next

The Knicks (18-7) will resume regular-season play on Thursday night, with a road matchup against the Indiana Pacers (7 p.m. tip-off).

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Knicks' Jalen Brunson named 2025 NBA Cup MVP

Jalen Brunson has been everything for the Knicks over the past few seasons. 

On Tuesday, the captain was officially named the 2025 NBA Cup MVP. 

Brunson was spectacular for New York throughout the tournament to help them secure the title. 

He led all scorers averaging 33.5 points and 6.5 assists on a stellar 55 percent shooting from the field. 

While Brunson took home the award, he credited his teammates for stepping up during Tuesday's win over the Spurs.

"OG Anunoby, Tyler Kolek, Jordan Clarkson, Mitchell Robinson, they played their a-- off tonight," he said. "Without them, we don't win this, they played their a-- off tonight."

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Olivia Miles has 3rd straight triple-double, and Marta Suarez her 1st as No. 9 TCU beats Pine Bluff

Olivia Miles had her third consecutive triple-double and finished with a season-high 25 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists, Marta Suarez had the first of her career with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, and No. 9 TCU beat Arkansas-Pine Bluff 109-54 on Tuesday night. Miles, the active career leader with nine, is only the third player with three triple-doubles in a row, and the first since Chastadie Barrs for Lamar in January 2019.

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Winners and losers as Knicks claim NBA Cup over Wembanyama, Spurs 124-113

Winners and losers as Knicks claim NBA Cup over Wembanyama, Spurs 124-113 originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

An NBA trophy is headed to New York.

The Knicks on Tuesday won the 2025 NBA Cup Final in Las Vegas with a 124-113 victory over the San Antonio Spurs.

It marks New York’s first win in the tournament, as the first two editions went to the Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks, respectively.

Both teams stayed neck and neck for the opening two-and-a-half quarters, when San Antonio went up by double digits late in the third behind a Victor Wembanyama solo run.

But that didn’t continue in the fourth, as the Knicks capitalized on Wembanyama sitting on the bench due to an injury limiting his minutes. New York outscored the Spurs 35-19 in the fourth, with OG Anunoby and Jalen Brunson, the eventual MVP, showing their quality.

Each player on the Knicks will now take home an extra $530,933 for the win. Let’s analyze the game further with winners and losers:

WINNER: OG Anunoby, Knicks

Anunoby chose a fantastic game to go above and beyond. The 28-year-old forward recorded a game-high 28 points on 10 of 17 shooting overall, including a 5 of 10 clip from deep. He added nine rebounds and three assists to his stat line, with four offensive boards.

He may not have claimed the MVP award for his game, but these types of two-way performances can give New York the edge come playoff time.

LOSER: De’Aaron Fox, Spurs

With Wembanyama playing limited minutes on a bench role, these are the types of games where Fox has to reach the next level. That just wasn’t the case.

The point guard went for just 16 points on 5 of 16 shooting with nine assists, two rebounds and five turnovers. He was second to everything offensively and defensively down the stretch, and it’s not ideal that Wembanyama and Dylan Harper outscored him in less minutes.

WINNER: Jalen Brunson, Knicks

It may not be the NBA Championship, but Brunson remains on the right track to potentially winning the major trophy. The 29-year-old, sometimes deemed too small to be the No. 1 option on a title-winning team, assembled a 25-point showing to go with eight rebounds, four rebounds and two blocks.

Not everything was clean, though, despite the MVP win. He shot 11 of 27 overall, 1 of 5 from deep and 2 of 4 from the foul line. How things would look in a four-game series vs. San Antonio is unclear, but it’s a night to celebrate regardless.

LOSER: Victor Wembanyama, Spurs

Wembanyama has enjoyed two 40-point games against the Knicks in his young career, but he was limited to just 25 minutes in this one. Had he played the majority of the fourth quarter instead of Luke Kornet, perhaps the outcome may have been different.

But the young French star will not get the chance to add to his resume early on, scoring 18 points on 7 of 17 shooting with a 2 of 6 mark from deep. He added six rebounds, two blocks, one assist and one steal. Now he’ll need to stay healthy with San Antonio’s roster in much better shape to embark on a playoff run.

WINNER: Mitchell Robinson, Knicks

Sometimes you need your role players to come up big when needed the most. New York received valiant bench-scoring efforts from Jordan Clarkson and Tyler Kolek, but it was long-time center Robinson that was at the heart of everything.

In 18 minutes, he nabbed 15 rebounds, including 10 on the offensive glass. The Spurs had success with second-chance points, but Robinson helped the Knicks tilt that to their advantage, especially without Wemby. New York also had 56 points in the paint to San Antonio’s 44. Again, it’s not the main title, but New York fans will appreciate what Robinson did for them given his time spent with the franchise.

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Winners and losers as Knicks claim NBA Cup over Wembanyama, Spurs 124-113

Winners and losers as Knicks claim NBA Cup over Wembanyama, Spurs 124-113 originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

An NBA trophy is headed to New York.

The Knicks on Tuesday won the 2025 NBA Cup Final in Las Vegas with a 124-113 victory over the San Antonio Spurs.

It marks New York’s first win in the tournament, as the first two editions went to the Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks, respectively.

Both teams stayed neck and neck for the opening two-and-a-half quarters, when San Antonio went up by double digits late in the third behind a Victor Wembanyama solo run.

But that didn’t continue in the fourth, as the Knicks capitalized on Wembanyama sitting on the bench due to an injury limiting his minutes. New York outscored the Spurs 35-19 in the fourth, with OG Anunoby and Jalen Brunson, the eventual MVP, showing their quality.

Each player on the Knicks will now take home an extra $530,933 for the win. Let’s analyze the game further with winners and losers:

WINNER: OG Anunoby, Knicks

Anunoby chose a fantastic game to go above and beyond. The 28-year-old forward recorded a game-high 28 points on 10 of 17 shooting overall, including a 5 of 10 clip from deep. He added nine rebounds and three assists to his stat line, with four offensive boards.

He may not have claimed the MVP award for his game, but these types of two-way performances can give New York the edge come playoff time.

LOSER: De’Aaron Fox, Spurs

With Wembanyama playing limited minutes on a bench role, these are the types of games where Fox has to reach the next level. That just wasn’t the case.

The point guard went for just 16 points on 5 of 16 shooting with nine assists, two rebounds and five turnovers. He was second to everything offensively and defensively down the stretch, and it’s not ideal that Wembanyama and Dylan Harper outscored him in less minutes.

WINNER: Jalen Brunson, Knicks

It may not be the NBA Championship, but Brunson remains on the right track to potentially winning the major trophy. The 29-year-old, sometimes deemed too small to be the No. 1 option on a title-winning team, assembled a 25-point showing to go with eight rebounds, four rebounds and two blocks.

Not everything was clean, though, despite the MVP win. He shot 11 of 27 overall, 1 of 5 from deep and 2 of 4 from the foul line. How things would look in a four-game series vs. San Antonio is unclear, but it’s a night to celebrate regardless.

LOSER: Victor Wembanyama, Spurs

Wembanyama has enjoyed two 40-point games against the Knicks in his young career, but he was limited to just 25 minutes in this one. Had he played the majority of the fourth quarter instead of Luke Kornet, perhaps the outcome may have been different.

But the young French star will not get the chance to add to his resume early on, scoring 18 points on 7 of 17 shooting with a 2 of 6 mark from deep. He added six rebounds, two blocks, one assist and one steal. Now he’ll need to stay healthy with San Antonio’s roster in much better shape to embark on a playoff run.

WINNER: Mitchell Robinson, Knicks

Sometimes you need your role players to come up big when needed the most. New York received valiant bench-scoring efforts from Jordan Clarkson and Tyler Kolek, but it was long-time center Robinson that was at the heart of everything.

In 18 minutes, he nabbed 15 rebounds, including 10 on the offensive glass. The Spurs had success with second-chance points, but Robinson helped the Knicks tilt that to their advantage, especially without Wemby. New York also had 56 points in the paint to San Antonio’s 44. Again, it’s not the main title, but New York fans will appreciate what Robinson did for them given his time spent with the franchise.

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NBA Trade rumors 2025-26: Bucks want to be buyers, not sellers, to try and keep Giannis Antetokounmpo

The Milwaukee Bucks are not going to trade Giannis Antetokounmpo until he forces them to. While it's been reported that his agent and the Bucks are discussing his future, Milwaukee will try to keep him and make him happy until Antetokounmpo is willing to be the bad guy and demand a trade (and he's not doing that, he's saying he would run through a wall for this team).

Which brings us to the latest reports that the Bucks are telling teams they want to be buyers, not sellers, at the trade deadline. The first report came from the well-connected Eric Nehm, who covers the Bucks for The Athletic.

League sources told The Athletic the Bucks have told teams they are looking to add to their roster in hopes of fortifying their struggling team in the week leading up to Dec. 15. That messaging could certainly change as the Feb. 5 trade deadline nears.

Then there is this via Jake Fischer at The Stein Line.

"After repeatedly telling teams that Antetokounmpo is not available and that it is not interested in fielding trade offers for him, now Milwaukee is messaging that it wants to be buyers at this deadline to try to get Giannis more help. Even with no clear return-from-injury timetable yet in place for Antetokounmpo, Jon Horst's front office continues to hold onto hope that assembling a puncher's chance contender remains viable in the wide-open Eastern Conference.

"One rival general manager I spoke to went so far as to say that the Bucks have convinced him that 'they're going big-game hunting.'"

The Bucks previously have been linked to Miami's Andrew Wiggins and the Kings' Zach LaVine.

Milwaukee has to give up something to get something, and that's where the problems begin. The biggest issue is draft picks: The Bucks have just one first-round pick they can trade at the deadline (at the NBA Draft, that number jumps to three, including drafting a player for another team and sending him there in a deal). As for players, the big names the Bucks can dangle are Bobby Portis and Kyle Kuzma, but there are also Ryan Rollins (who they really want to keep), Kevin Porter Jr., AJ Green and Gary Trent Jr.

Is there any trade that can turn around a team that has gone 3-11 in its last 14 and remains without Antetokounmpo due to a calf strain? Maybe not, but the Bucks are all-in on Antetokounmpo, the two-time MVP who led this team to a championship and is the greatest player in franchise history (we can argue about Kareem Abdul-Jabbar if you want, but at worst they are 1 and 1A). The Bucks are going to try to make Antetokounmpo happy, not trade him.

If there is a parting of the ways, it may be more likely this offseason if Antetokounmpo tells the Bucks he will not sign a contract extension, as he is heading into the final year of his current deal (then Milwaukee would have to trade him or risk losing him for nothing).