Spurs defeat Thunder, will face Knicks in NBA Cup Championship

(AFP) The San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks will vie for the NBA Cup title on Tuesday after beating the Oklahoma Thunder and Orlando Magic, respectively, in Saturday's semifinals in Las Vegas.

The Spurs were fueled by the return of their big star, Victor Wembanyama, who led a superb team performance after 12-game absence due to a left calf strain.

The 21-year-old French prodigy, who had not played since Nov. 14, scored 22 points to hand Oklahoma City (111-109), the defending NBA champions, its second loss of the season.

“Wemby” opened the second semifinal of the day on the bench for the first time in his short career. He played 21 minutes, in which he dished out 2 assists and grabbed 9 rebounds to become the star of the night at T-Mobile Arena.

"I knew I had limited minutes so I had to make the most out of it," the French star said. "Winning against a team like this, it might seem like it's just a game but it's a collective effort and it's not an easy thing."

San Antonio rallied after being down by 16 points with a 13-0 run before the end of the first half.

The game was an instant NBA Cup classic. It is the third edition of the midseason tournament that is proving a big hit with the crowd and the players.

There were all kinds of spectacular plays on defense and acrobatic finishes at the rim, and a dramatic end to the game.

Brunson shines for the Knicks

It was all decided by a last-second desperation attempt by Alex Caruso that ended up hitting the backboard and was disputed for a possible foul that the referees ultimately did not see.

For the Thunder (24-2), the second loss of the season leaves them without a chance to repeat as NBA Cup finalists, after losing last season's edition to Milwaukee, and ends a streak of 16 consecutive wins.

Canadian guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the NBA's Most Valuable Player (MVP) winner last season, connected on one of his seven attempts from the 3-point line on a 24% (9/37) shooting night from deep for Oklahoma City.

Earlier in the day, the Knicks' victory also featured a star performance from Jalen Brunson, who scored 40 points in a 132-120 win over the Orlando Magic.

The 29-year-old point guard accounted for the game's most baskets and granted his franchise a chance to win its first trophy since 1973.

"The way they came out, physicality-wise, we weren't ready for it," Brunson said, following the game at T-Mobile Arena. "We bounced back and responded to that, and the way we played the rest of the game is a testament to that first timeout."

The Knicks' offensive form proved too much for an injury-plagued Orlando, which in the semifinal clash saw New York's recent streak extend to nine wins in 10 games.

Money and glory

The Knicks briefly surrendered their early lead shortly after halftime, but Orlando ultimately could not keep pace with Brunson, who late in the third quarter left opposing point guard Anthony Black sitting helplessly on the floor before hitting a 3-pointer.

Jalen Suggs scored a team-high 26 points for the Magic, but was unable to finish the game after suffering an apparent left side injury.

The Magic, who closed out their best showing in the tournament with just one loss in six games, also felt the absence of German forward Franz Wagner, their leading scorer this season, out with a left ankle injury.

In addition to the NBA Cup title, which will be decided Tuesday in Las Vegas, the players are competing for cash (about $530,000 for each member of the winning team), adding excitement to the matchups just weeks after the start of the NBA regular season.