With the NBA focused on their in-season Cup tournament today, their slate features just two games, both played in Las Vegas. In the later semifinal matchup, it’s a battle of three-name teams when the Oklahoma City Thunder clash with the San Antonio Spurs. And in the first game of the evening, the New York Knicks (17-7) will square up against the Orlando Magic (15-10).

This is a rematch of last Sunday’s gritty game at Madison Square Garden, which the Knicks won 106-100. The Fightin’ Disneys lead the series season 2-1.

Karl-Anthony Towns is active after returning Tuesday from calf tightness. He delivered a 14-point, 16-rebound performance in a knockout game against the Raptors. The ‘Bockers will be playing without Miles McBride, however, who’s nursing a sprained ankle. Facing a Magic team that is very comfortable with a physical playing style, New York will miss Deuce’s longrange shooting and dogged defense.

On the Orlando side, the absence of Franz Wagner is big. The Magic lost him early in the December 7 game with a high ankle sprain, and without his scoring, playmaking, and connective tissue, their offense stalled for long stretches.

Stepping into the void, Desmond Bane almost single-handedly beat the Heat in their quarterfinal tilt. If the Magic are going to keep pace, Bane will need to penetrate New York’s defense early and often. Expect Knicks coach Mike Brown to assign his Wingstop—OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges—to Dez through the game.

Another potential problem is Paolo Banchero, who scored 16 points on Sunday and then 18 against the Heat in their knockout game. He’ll likely match those numbers today.

Up front, the Knicks finally get to deploy their full strength. Towns alongside Mitchell Robinson gives New York a size and rebounding edge, with the latter grabbing a rebound almost every two minutes in Sunday’s game. Rebounds are one of the keys to defeating the Floridians, and it is telling that New York grabbed 52 boards in their one of the season series.

Finally, the bench minutes loom large. Without McBride, the Knicks will need steady play from Jordan Clarkson, Tyler Kolek, and Guerschon Yabusele to survive the stretches when Jalen Brunson rests.

The NBA Cup itself remains an opportunity and a curiosity. Still a young, sometimes mocked Adam Silver invention, the tournament has yet to prove any connection to playoff success, as the Lakers and Bucks have won it but exited early in the postseason. Doing well in the tournament adds an 83rd game and extra travel, and less rest during an already compressed stretch of the schedule. But for the Knicks, the Cup is less of a gimmick and more of a measuring stick. Jalen Brunson recently made comments about winning it for the organization’s behind-the-scenes staff, while Towns said that the format sharpens everyone’s competitive edge. And hanging a new banner of any kind at MSG is sort of tantalizing, innit?

ESPN.com favors the Knicks at 62%. That seems a tad high, but we’ll take it. Predictions for the day: Brunson and Bane score 30 apiece, Banchero adds 16, Robinson tears down about 15 boards, KAT logs a double-double, and Hart flirts with a triple-double. The teams will take turns going on runs, and the Knicks will balance one massive quarter with on stinker. In the end, the better team clamps down with intense focus in the fourth quarter and advances to the Cup Finals to face (we predict) the Thunder. Go New York, Go New York, Go!

Date: Saturday, December 13, 2025
Time: 5:30 p.m. ET (2:30 p.m. PT)
Location: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
TV: Amazon Prime Video
Follow: @ptknicksblog and bsky