NBA Cup Final Notes (Dec. 16, 2025)
Here are the notes for the NBA Cup final that was played on Dec. 16, 2025.
Author’s Note: I have to admit, the NBA Cup does not do a whole lot for me. I have no idea which teams are in which groups, and if weren’t for the colorful courts (which are an eyesore, in my opinion), I couldn’t tell you which games are Cup games and which are not. They’re just regular season games with window dressing. All but the Cup final, that is, which doesn’t even count in the regular season standings and whose statistics exist in the ether with those of the Play-In Tournament. Sorry to be a killjoy, Knicks fans.
⭐️ Star of the Night
OG Anunoby scored a game-high 28 points as the New York Knicks rallied to defeat the San Antonio Spurs 124-113 in the NBA Cup final. Anunoby shot 10-17 from the field, sinking five of his 10 attempts from 3-point range. He added nine rebounds, three assists, and one block, and did not commit a turnover in 40 minutes of action.
📊 Top Game Scores
OG Anunoby, NYK (24.8): 28 PTS, 9 REB, 0 TOV, 10-17 FG, 5-10 3P
Dylan Harper, SAS (16.1): 21 PTS, 7 REB, 7-14 FG, 5-7 3P
Stephon Castle, SAS (15.3): 15 PTS, 7 REB, 12 AST, 5-15 FG
Luke Kornet, SAS (15.0): 14 PTS, 6 REB, 7-9 FG
Karl-Anthony Towns, NYK (14.4): 16 PTS, 11 REB, 2 STL, 6-12 FG
Josh Hart, NYK (13.1): 11 PTS, 8 REB, 2 STL, 5-7 FG
Tyler Kolek, NYK (12.9): 14 PTS, 5 REB, 5 AST, 5-9 FG
Jalen Brunson, NYK (12.4): 25 PTS, 8 AST, 11-27 FG
Victor Wembanyama, SAS (12.0): 18 PTS, 6 REB, 2 BLK, 7-17 FG
🧢 Rally Cap
The Knicks trailed the Spurs by 11 points with less than two minutes remaining in the second quarter. From that point forward, New York outscored San Antonio by 22 points, including a 35-19 edge in the fourth quarter. Jordan Clarkson led the Knicks with eight points in the final frame, while Anunoby, Jalen Brunson, and Tyler Kolek chipped in with six apiece.
💪 Chairmen of the Boards
The Knicks dominated the boards, winning the rebound battle 59-42. New York’s Mitchell Robinson pulled down a game-high 15 rebounds in just 18 minutes played, 10 of them on the offensive end.
Over the last 40 seasons, only three players have recorded at least 10 offensive rebounds despite logging less than 20 minutes played: Popeye Jones (March 10, 1994), Tari Eason (Feb. 1, 2023), and Andre Drummond (Dec. 11, 2023). Alas, Robinson won’t join them, because as mentioned earlier the NBA Cup final does not count as a regular season game.
🏆 NBA Cup MVP
Brunson was named NBA Cup MVP, joining previous winners LeBron James (2023) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (2024). Brunson averaged 33.2 PPG and 5.8 APG in six Cup games, shooting 53.1% from the field and 46.2% from 3-point range. He scored at least 25 points in each contest, with a high of 40 points in New York’s semifinal win over the Orlando Magic.
I agree about the cup games, not so much about the play-in tournament.
Whether it's an improvement over the traditional 1-8 method is debatable, but its games should definitely count as playoff games of a preliminary round.
The 1957 games were exactly that - without the "play-in" title - and counted as playoff games.
The NCAA play-in games, also known as "First Four", count for record purposes if memory serves me correctly.