LAS VEGAS–It’s been more than half a century new York Knicks The NBA Championship banner was hung inside Madison Square Garden.
The wait to add another since 1973 didn’t end Tuesday night, but New York could still make it to the NBA Cup banner.
OG Anunoby scored 28 points, Jalen Brunson 25, and the Knicks rushed to beat Victor Wembanyama and this San Antonio Spurs 124-113.
“It’s great and we’re going to enjoy it,” Brunson said. “But once we leave tomorrow, we will move on.”
This is a championship roster – NBA Cup MVP Brunson, josh hart And mikal bridges The Nets cut down in college at Villanova – with high hopes of representing the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals.
“It’s a single-elimination tournament once you get to a certain point, so every game matters,” New York coach Mike Brown said. “There’s pressure every game if you’re expected to be what you think you are. When you’re able to have success, it builds confidence in everyone in the organization.”
New York’s carl-anthony town He had 16 points and 11 rebounds despite battling a calf injury. He went to the locker room a minute before halftime and subsequently went out to the bench with 5:06 minutes remaining in the third quarter and did not return until late in the fourth.
dylan harper Led the Spurs with 21 points, Wembanyama scored 18 points and De’Aaron Fox There were 16.
Wembanyama excused himself from the post-game news conference because he “just lost someone,” he said Tuesday.
New York dominates inside by defeating Spurs 59-42 Michelle Robinson Collecting 15 boards including 10 on the offensive end in 18 minutes. This helped the Knicks take a 56-44 lead in points in the lane.
However, the Spurs held the lead for most of the game before the Knicks went on a 13–1 run that started late in the third quarter to go up 100–95. New York was never behind again.
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said, “After 25 games, I believe we’ve shown some signs that we can be a very good team.” “We also showed that we have a lot of areas for improvement. I think we stayed right there today.”
The Knicks got more than a trophy. Each player with a standard contract received an additional $318,560 for winning, bringing the total to the finals to $530,933.
This game does not count in the standings, so both teams remain at 18–7, placing them on top of their respective divisions.
Reaching the final is a good sign for both the teams. Last four finalists– Los Angeles LakersIndiana, Oklahoma City and Milwaukee – also made the playoffs. The Pacers made the Eastern Conference Finals in 2024, and the Thunder won the NBA championship last season.
