The New York Knicks have won the NBA Cup. The team from the Big Apple prevailed 124-113 against the San Antonio Spurs in the final.
After more than 52 years, the Knicks have won another title. It may only be the NBA Cup, but it was still cause for celebration in Las Vegas. The Knicks’ top scorers were O.G. Anunoby (28 points) and Jalen Brunson (25), but in the end it was role players such as Mitchell Robinson (9 points, 15 rebounds), Jordan Clarkson (15) and Tyler Kolek (14) who made important plays for the Knicks. Nevertheless, Brunson was named MVP.
German center Ariel Hukporti, on the other hand, only played for 112 seconds, but the Stralsund native still benefits from the title and, like the entire team, pockets a decent victory bonus.
San Antonio led by double digits in the second half, but didn’t accomplish much in the fourth quarter. That was also true for Victor Wembanyama, who came off the bench again. With 18 points (7/17 FG, 6 rebounds), he was the second-highest scorer after rookie Dylan Harper (21), with a total of seven Texan players scoring in double digits. At first, everything was fairly even. The Knicks converted their three-pointers, but the Spurs got into the zone at will thanks to De’Aaron Fox and distributed the ball well there. For New York, it was mainly Brunson and Anunoby who provided the offense, while the Spurs were a little more balanced. And so the Texans led 61-59 at the break, even though Wembanyama had only been a factor defensively up to that point.
Robinson turns the game around for the Knicks
But that changed after the break. When Wemby came off the bench again, his presence was much more noticeable. The Frenchman made two three-pointers, was served two lobs and also scored from mid-range for twelve points in the quarter. San Antonio suddenly led by double digits and Karl-Anthony Towns had to sit on the bench in great pain.
But Robinson played more and the center caused the Spurs massive problems under the boards. The big man grabbed one offensive rebound after another and gave the Knicks important second chances. Jordan Clarkson benefited twice at the start of the fourth quarter, putting the Knicks back in the lead (97-94) with back-to-back three-pointers. And that lead remained because San Antonio didn’t score much more and Robinson continued to wreak havoc. Backup guard Kolek also played well and took some of the pressure off Brunson. Stephon Castle (15 points, 12 assists) cut the Spurs’ deficit to 105-108 with 5:23 left in the game, but San Antonio only managed two field goals after that and the Knicks cruised to victory.
