NBA Cup Bracket 2025 Top Storylines for Spurs vs. Knicks Championship
The San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks face off on Tuesday in the third NBA Cup final.
San Antonio picked up the more notable semifinal victory in Las Vegas, as it handed the Oklahoma City Thunder their second loss of the 2025-26 campaign.
Victor Wembanyama's return helped to spark the victory. He'll be needed even more on Tuesday against Karl-Anthony Towns.
The Knicks need another masterclass from Jalen Brunson to put all sorts of pressure on the Spurs defense.
San Antonio played a strong overall game on Saturday, but it still allowed 29 points to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, a total that Brunson can easily match in the final.
Victor Wembanyama's Overall Impact
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Victor Wembanyama scored 22 points and pulled down nine rebounds in 21 minutes against OKC.
That was an incredibly efficient shift for the Frenchman against a Thunder defense that has played well against almost everyone this season.
Tuesday presents a new challenge for Wemby in the form of Karl-Anthony Towns.
Wemby had 42 points and 18 rebounds against Towns and the Knicks on Christmas Day a year ago. Towns still had 21 points and nine boards, but he was far less effective than his counterpart.
Wembanyama's workload will determine how often he can make an impact on the contest. The Spurs might not be willing to play him 35-40 minutes in his second game after a month-long injury layoff.
If the Frenchman has the same impact in 25-30 minutes as he did on Saturday, San Antonio will be a terrific spot to secure the win.
Can Jalen Brunson Keep Up Red-Hot Scoring Run?
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Jalen Brunson comes into Tuesday night on a four-game 30-point streak.
Brunson lit up the Orlando Magic for 40 points in Saturday's semifinals. He also put up 35 points on the Toronto Raptors in the quarterfinal round. He also reached the 30-point mark in two group-stage contests.
Brunson is averaging 29.8 points per game in December, an almost two point uptick from his November average.
He is expected to put up another high point total on Tuesday to put the Knicks in position to claim the NBA Cup.
A 25-30-point performance might be too pedestrian for Brunson's remarkably high standards. He might have to put up 40 points again to wow us, which he is more than capable of doing.
Which Role Players Step Up?
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Wembanyama, De'Aaron Fox, Towns and Brunson are expected to play major roles on Tuesday.
However, the NBA Cup could be decided by one or two role players that step up in the title tilt.
Mikal Bridges is the prime choice to fill that role for the Knicks. He put up 41 points on the Spurs on Christmas Day a year ago. Bridges scored over 20 points once in the last month, so if he were to explode for a high point total it would be a bit of a surprise.
Devin Vassell could be San Antonio's X-factor. He scored 22 points against the Thunder and went over 20 points in three NBA Cup games this season.
Vassell's three-point shooting ability could be a perfect complement to Fox and Wembanyama's all-around scoring.
All four big names will probably have massive performances, but the team that gets the most out of its role players could be the one that comes away with the NBA Cup.
