JORDAN Clarkson sparked a decisive fourth-quarter surge as the New York Knicks pulled away from the San Antonio Spurs for a 124–113 victory to capture the 2025 NBA Cup on Tuesday night (Wednesday in the Philippines) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
After trailing through the first three quarters, the Knicks opened the final period with a basket from Mitchell Robinson, followed by back-to-back three-pointers from Clarkson to seize a 97–94 lead.
New York stretched its advantage to 104–97 midway through the fourth, but San Antonio stayed within striking distance, cutting the deficit to 110–115 on a three-pointer by Dylan Harper.
OG Anunoby answered with a timely triple for the Knicks, who then put the game away with four straight points from Tyler Kolek and a layup by Josh Hart to seal the championship.
Clarkson, a Gilas Pilipinas guard, finished with 15 points for New York, eight of which came in the fourth quarter, as the Knicks overcame an 11-point deficit earlier in the game.
Anunoby led the Knicks with 28 points, while Jalen Brunson added 25. Karl-Anthony Towns and Kolek chipped in 16 and 14 points, respectively, with Hart and Mikal Bridges scoring 11 apiece.
The title made New York the third team to win the NBA Cup, following the Los Angeles Lakers in 2023 and the Milwaukee Bucks in 2024.
Filipino-American rookie Harper paced the Spurs with 21 points. Victor Wembanyama scored 18, while De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, Luke Kornet, Devin Vassell, and Harrison Barnes contributed 16, 15, 14, 12, and 11 points, respectively./PN
BOX SCORE
NEW YORK 124 — Anunoby 28, Brunson 25, Towns 16, Clarkson 15, Kolek 14, Bridges 11, Hart 11, Robinson 4, Hukporti 0.
SAN ANTONIO 113 — Harper 21, Wembanyama 18, Fox 16, Castle 15, Kornet 14, Vassell 12, Barnes 11, Johnson 3, Champagnie 3.
Quarterscores: 28-30, 59-61, 89-94, 124-113.
