The New York Knicks are NBA Cup champions after a stunning fourth-quarter comeback led by Jordan Clarkson in a huge Las Vegas showdown.
NBA superstar Victor Wembanyama was closing in on his first trophy with the San Antonio Spurs until the Knicks’ late comeback turned the game on its head.
The NBA Cup is only in its third season and is yet to carry the same weight as the Championship, but it will be a welcome addition to the Knicks’ trophy cabinet, and will allow them to hang a banner next to the 1973 NBA championship in Madison Square Garden, the last time they won the title.
After the Lakers and the Bucks, New York is the latest winner of the trophy – led by a barnstorming performance from Clarkson, OG Anunoby and NBA Cup MVP Jalen Bruson.
Anunoby scored 28 points, Brunson had 25, and the New York Knicks rallied to win 124-113 on Tuesday night at Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena.
It is clear that New York has a championship roster – 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.
After the game, Brunson told Amazon’s TV coverage: ‘Without Tyler Kolek, OG Anunoby, Mitchell Robinson and Jordan Clarkson, we don’t win this game.’
New York’s Karl-Anthony Towns, meanwhile, 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 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.