After six weeks of play, the 2025 NBA Cup is down to two teams: the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs.
Both teams advanced to the in-season tournament’s championship game on Saturday with wins in Las Vegas. The Knicks put down the Orlando Magic behind a superb night from Jalen Brunson, then the Spurs took down the Oklahoma City Thunder in an instant classic.
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The NBA Cup championship game is scheduled for Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. ET. It will not count toward regular season records, but it will decide which team’s players bring home more than a half-million dollars each.
The Thunder are now 24-2, courtesy of Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs
When the NBA was first conceptualizing the NBA Cup, its best case scenario might have sounded something like the league’s top team facing one of its biggest names in a playoff atmosphere in December.
It got that on Saturday and so much more.
In perhaps the game of the season, the Spurs came back from down 16 points to hand the Thunder their second loss of the season. They did it in Victor Wembanyama’s first game back from a calf injury, and they needed every one of his limited minutes.
The loss breaks a 16-game winning streak for the Thunder, and leaves their record at 24-2. They’re still on pace to break the NBA’s regular season wins record, but you get only so many off nights.
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Jalen Brunson torches Magic as Knicks reach NBA Cup championship
The New York Knicks have reached the knockout round of the NBA Cup all three times the tournament has been held. They are about to play in their first championship game, primarily thanks to Jalen Brunson.
Behind 40 points and 8 assists from their All-Star guard, the Knicks survived a high-scoring thriller against the Orlando Magic in the East semifinal,
The Magic entered the game ranked fifth in the NBA in defensive efficiency, and the Knicks gashed them on that side of the court as much as any team has all season, despite shooting only 7-of-20 from 3-point range as a team. The absence of defensive standout Franz Wagner loomed large.
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It also didn’t help that Jalen Suggs, another defensive standout, left the game in clear discomfort in the fourth quarter. The Magic later announced he was questionable to return with a sore left hip, but he never made it back to the court.
Here’s everything that happened at Yahoo Sports from the 2025 NBA Cup semifinals:
Live93 updates
Sat, December 13, 2025 at 3:12 PM PST
Sat, December 13, 2025 at 9:04 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Sat, December 13, 2025 at 9:03 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Sat, December 13, 2025 at 9:02 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Sat, December 13, 2025 at 9:02 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Wemby makes 1-of-2 free throws, then Fox fouls Williams who hits both free throws to bring OKC within 1. Caruso quickly fouls Vassell who nails both from the line. Spurs foul Williams and he makes one and misses the second. The Spurs win 111-109 and will face the New York Knicks on Tuesday in the NBA Cup final.
Sat, December 13, 2025 at 8:56 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
OKC automatically fouls Holmgren, who makes just one of his free throws. Huge miss. Now Spurs ball with 8 seconds left in the game.
Sat, December 13, 2025 at 8:54 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Sat, December 13, 2025 at 8:51 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Spurs go up 108-105 with 9.8 seconds left. OKC ball after the timeout.
Sat, December 13, 2025 at 8:47 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Chet Holmgren nails his free throws after a shooting foul on Wemby and brings OKC within 2 with 24.9 on the game clock. Here we go!
Sat, December 13, 2025 at 8:44 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Wemby sinks two free throws after absorbing SGA’s fourth foul of the night. Spurs lead 105-101 with a minute left.
Sat, December 13, 2025 at 8:42 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Sat, December 13, 2025 at 8:37 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Sat, December 13, 2025 at 8:36 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Sat, December 13, 2025 at 8:34 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Jack Baer
Victor Wembanyama re-enters the game with five minutes left, and you’d imagine he’ll be in there for the rest of the game. That would give him about 20 minutes tonight.
Jack Baer
Jack Baer
An Alex Caruso dunk! He has seven of the Thunder’s last nine points and has them ahead with six minutes left.
Jack Baer
Jack Baer
Jack Baer
Alex Caruso hits a 3-pointer and we’re tied 87-87 with 8:35 left.
Jack Baer
Wemby vs. Chet, what the fans paid for.