The New York Knicks celebrate with the trophy after they defeated the San Antonio Spurs in the Emirates NBA Cup Championship game on Tuesday.Ethan Miller/Getty Images
OG Anunoby scored 28 points, Jalen Brunson had 25, and the New York Knicks rallied to beat Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs 124-113 on Tuesday night to win the NBA Cup.
Now the Knicks can hang a banner next to the 1973 NBA championship banner in Madison Square Garden, the last time they won the title.
But this is a championship roster — NBA Cup MVP Brunson, Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges cut down the nets in college at Villanova — with high hopes of representing a weak Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals.
New York’s Karl-Anthony Towns had 16 points and 11 rebounds despite battling an injury. He went into the locker room with a minute left before halftime and later exited for the bench with 5:06 remaining in the third quarter and didn’t return until late in the fourth. The broadcast said he had calf injury.
Dylan Harper led the Spurs with 21 points, Wembanyama scored 18 and De’Aaron Fox had 16.
New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, left, shoots the ball past San Antonio Spurs forward Julian Champagnie during the NBA Cup championship basketball game on Tuesday.Kirby Lee/The Associated Press
New York dominated inside, outrebounding the Spurs 59-42, with Mitchell Robinson collecting 15 boards, including 10 on the offensive end. That helped give the Knicks a 56-44 edge in points in the lane.
The Spurs, however, led for much of the game before the Knicks went on a 13-1 run that began late in the third quarter to go up 100-95. New York never trailed again.
The Knicks got more than a trophy, each player with a standard contract got an extra $318,560 for winning, making the total $530,933 for even reaching the final.
This game doesn’t count in the standings, so both teams remain 18-7, putting them atop their respective divisions.
Just making the final bodes well for both teams. The previous four finalists — Los Angeles Lakers, Indiana, Oklahoma City and Milwaukee — also made the playoffs. The Pacers made the Eastern Conference finals in 2024, and the Thunder won the NBA championship last season.