Starting 5: Emirates NBA Cup Championship night is here

It all comes down to this.

Spurs. Knicks. The Emirates NBA Cup Championship.

Tonight in Vegas (8:30 ET, Prime | Tap to Watch).

5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀

One Game For The Cup: Two teams at their best. One trophy on the line

Built For This: A pair of superstars made for the big stage collide in Wemby & Brunson

Strength In Numbers: Fox, KAT and the depth driving San Antonio and New York

Overtime Duels: Jokić & Sengun trade triple-doubles, Flagg makes history, but Utah gets the win

Monday Roundup: The Pistons are heating up again, Raptors & Grizzlies dub

1. EMIRATES NBA CUP CHAMPIONSHIP TONIGHT: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

After 60 Group Play games, four Quarterfinals and two Semifinals, the stage is finally set.

One game for the Emirates NBA Cup Championship (8:30 ET, Prime).

All eyes turn to Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena for tonight’s only matchup – a title fight with the whole hoops world watching.

Representing the East is the New York Knicks, winners of East Group C, 18-7 overall and 5-1 in Cup Play.

Representing the West is the San Antonio Spurs, winners of West Group C, also 18-7 overall and 5-1 in Cup Play.

How The Knicks Got Here: One of the hottest teams in hoops, New York is 9-1 over its last 10 games, including five straight wins and two double-digit victories in the Knockout Rounds.

• Ended Bucks’ Cup Defense: Seeking a win to secure East C, the Knicks beat the defending Cup champion Bucks on the final night of Group Play to advance to the Knockouts
• Topped Toronto: Back in the Quarterfinals for the third straight year, New York handed the Raptors their first Cup Play loss behind Jalen Brunson’s 35 points – sending the Knicks to their first Cup Semifinals
• Ousted Orlando: There, Brunson – No. 1 on the NBA Cup MVP Ladder – went off again, dropping 40 to beat the Magic, 132-120, and reach tonight’s Championship

How The Spurs Got Here: Winners of 10 of their last 13 games, the Spurs emerged out of a loaded West Group C (DEN, HOU, POR, GSW), ripping through a gauntlet of opponents before making the ultimate statement on Saturday – an instant-classic rivalry win.

• Downed Denver: San Antonio’s first elimination game came in the Group Play finale, where it knocked off Nikola Jokić’s Nuggets in a winner-take-all showdown for West C
• Eliminated Lakers: In the Quarterfinals, the Spurs faced LeBron James, Luka Dončić and the red-hot Lakers, upending them 132-119 in L.A. to reach Vegas
• Stunned OKC: Next up? The dominant Thunder, who saw their 16-game win streak snapped in Victor Wembanyama’s return from injury, as he ignited a 16-point rally to hand OKC just its second loss of the season

Now, two of basketball’s hottest teams – led by two of the league’s brightest stars – meet in the biggest game of the season thus far. 

Tonight’s result doesn’t count toward the regular-season standings. It decides hardware. Forty-eight minutes for the Cup.

2. BUILT FOR THIS: WEMBY & BRUNSON COLLIDE FOR THE CUP

Victor Wembanyama has never shied away from big moments. That was apparent on Saturday.

After not playing since Nov. 14 due to a calf strain, he could have waited for a softer return – a lighter opponent, a smaller stage.

Instead, he came back for the NBA Cup Semifinals against the NBA-best Thunder, who were off to a record 24-1 start and riding a franchise-best win streak.

What followed was peak Wemby. Twenty-two points, 9 rebounds and 2 blocks in 21 minutes, sparking a game-changing 2nd-quarter swing, before scoring 15 in the 4th to shock the defending champs.

Now, he has the Spurs one win from their first trophy since the 2014 Finals.

• “As competitors, we want to win every game,” said Wembanyama at yesterday’s NBA Cup Media Day. “This one brings something new to the table, so we want to win it even more.”

Jalen Brunson is no stranger to the big stage. His home floor is Madison Square Garden, “the Mecca of Basketball,” where the Knicks are 13-1 this season.

Dubbed “Captain Clutch” and backed by winning last season’s Kia Clutch POY, Brunson has elevated his game in Cup Play, averaging 34.8 ppg – the 3rd-most of any player – including four straight 30-pieces, while shooting 63% in the Knockout Rounds.

And tonight, he wants a trophy.

• “You’re playing for your team, your organization, your city,” said Brunson on tonight’s Championship. “It’s a lot at stake.”

Wembanyama & Brunson 2025-26 Heat Zone Comparisons

One stands at 7-foot-4. The other at 6-foot-2. But both Wemby and Brunson predicate their games inside, and are at their best when they’re on the attack.

• New York Drive: Brunson’s averaging 11.3 ppg off drives – the 4th-most in the NBA – using deception and strength to get into the paint, where he thrives
• JB’s Office: Brunson is shooting 55.9% in the paint, where, excluding the restricted area, he ranks 4th in total makes
• Size It Up: No other player in the top-10 is below 6-foot-4, helping fuel Brunson’s career-high 28.8 ppg
• Area 51: Like Brunson, Wemby also ranks in the top 25 in points in the paint per game (11.1), where he’s shooting 62.1%, while nearly cutting his 3PA in half from last season (8.8 to 4.5)
• His Best Work? Around the rim. Sixty-five percent of Wemby’s 2-point FGA have come within 10 feet of the basket, and he’s totaled 35 dunks in 13 games
• Above The Crowd: That’s 2.7 dunks per game – the 3rd-best average in the NBA – helping drive career-highs in FG% (50.4) and ppg (25.8)

Tonight, both superstars will look to impose their will inside, turning play in the paint into the factor that could decide the Cup.

3. STRENGTH IN NUMBERS: DEPTH DRIVING KNICKS & SPURS

Wembanyama and Brunson have shined this season. But teams win titles.

And tonight’s Cup championship (8:30 ET, Prime) features two of the game’s deepest squads.

The Knicks are a perennial contender looking to break through, while the Spurs are an up-and-coming force that could be a problem for years to come.

San Antonio showcased its depth with Wemby sidelined, going 9-3 and reaching Vegas in his absence, with its entire core stepping up. That starts with De’Aaron Fox boosting a dynamic backcourt.

• The Stabilizer: Fox did more than steady the ship with Wemby out. He jump-started the run to Vegas, averaging 24.9 ppg and 6.3 apg over the Spurs’ current 10-3 stretch and climbing to 3rd on the Cup MVP Ladder
• The Sharpshooter: In that same span, Devin Vassell has been lights out, posting 17.6 ppg while shooting 44% from 3
• The Next Star: Reigning Kia Rookie ROY Stephon Castle has also come up big since returning from injury, averaging 26 pts, 8 reb and 4 ast in the Knockout Rounds
• The Next Wave: This year’s No. 2 pick, Dylan Harper, has flashed, posting five 15+ point games in his last seven outings

The Missing Piece: Wembanyama. San Antonio ranks 6th in OffRtg amid its 10-3 run, but 17th in DefRtg (116.0). With Wemby in the lineup, its DefRtg improves to 110.2 – which would rank 2nd in the NBA behind only OKC.

NY Fire: The Spurs will be tasked with stopping one of the league’s most potent offenses in New York, which boasts the NBA’s 2nd-highest OffRtg and ranks top-5 in both 3s made (15.1) and 3-point percentage (37.8%).

• Hungry KAT: Leading the charge alongside Brunson is Karl-Anthony Towns (22.4 pts, 11.9 reb), who’s tallied the 2nd-most double-doubles this season (17), trailing only Nikola Jokić
• Record Punch: Together, KAT and Brunson are combining for 51.2 ppg – on pace for the highest-scoring season of any Knicks duo in franchise history

Hart Spark: New York’s run also coincides with elevating Josh Hart into the starting lineup, where he’s supercharged the team.

• Always Everywhere: Since his first start on Nov. 22, Hart’s infectious energy has reached another level, boosting his numbers in points (9.9 to 15.6), rebounds (6.6 to 8.8) and assists (4.5 to 5.4) per game
• The Result: The Knicks have gone 9-1 in that stretch, including four Cup wins by an NBA-best 16.3 average point differential

Now, two complete teams – from superstars to stacked supporting casts – meet for one game to decide the Emirates NBA Cup champion.

• “All those guys in that locker room are willing to do whatever it takes,” said Towns on Monday. “Whatever it takes to win, we’ll do.”
• “We’ve earned the right to be here,” said Spurs coach Mitch Johnson of his squad. “We’re gonna attack the game tomorrow, and we’re gonna be really fired up to go try to win it.”

4. OT THRILLERS: JOKIĆ, SENGUN, FLAGG & GEORGE SHINE

Two games needed overtime to decide a winner on Monday.

One featured two of the league’s premier playmaking bigs – an offensive master and a worthy apprentice – trading punches.

The other was a glimpse of what’s next, as two rising stars went bucket for bucket.

Nuggets 128, Rockets 125 (OT): We start in Denver, where Nikola Jokić (39 pts, 15 reb, 10 ast) and Alperen Sengun (33 pts, 10 reb, 10 ast) both posted monster triple-doubles in a back-and-forth duel.

But Jamal Murray was the difference (35 pts, 5 ast), combining for 74 points with the Joker, including six from Murray in OT, to outlast Houston in a battle of two of the West’s top teams, marking Denver’s fifth straight dub. | Recap

• Jokić, Wilt & Oscar: Jokić recorded his 12th career 35/15/10 game on Nov. 17, tying Wilt Chamberlain for the 2nd-most ever
• Almost exactly one month later, he passed him with No. 13 – matching Oscar Robertson’s record
• Class Of His Own: It’s Jokić’s NBA-best 12th triple-double of the season – twice the total of the next closest player (Jalen Johnson: 6)
• Dynamic Duo: Jokić (29.8) and Murray (24.9) are now combining for 54.7 ppg, the most of any NBA duo, but this is the first time they’ve both scored 35+ in the same game this season
• KD’s Rare Night: Kevin Durant also stuffed the stat sheet (25 pts, 5 reb, 7 ast, 5 blk), recording just the fourth 25/5/5/5 game of his career and his first since 2017

Cooper Flagg entered Monday atop the Kia Rookie Ladder.

He left it with the best performance of his young career – and an NBA record.

But another rising star had the final say.

Jazz 140, Mavericks 133 (OT): Flagg became the youngest player in NBA history to score 40+ points in a game, dropping 42 along with 7 rebounds and 6 assists to build the Mavs a late lead.

But the Jazz wouldn’t go away, as Keyonte George (37 pts, 6 ast, 5 3s) and Lauri Markkanen (33 pts, 16 reb) willed them back to force OT, where George single-handedly outscored Dallas to secure Utah’s second straight win and its fourth in six games. | Recap

• Keyonte Cooks: Averaging a career-high in points (23.5), rebounds (4) and assists (6.8), George, 22, has now scored 39 and 37 in Utah’s last two games – the best two-game scoring stretch of his career
• “He’s improving every day,” said Markkanen on George postgame. “That’s what he’s doing. He’s working his butt off … and it’s showing.”
• Coop Passes The King: Flagg passed LeBron James’s 37 points in 2003 for the most by a single player at age 18 or younger, while becoming just the fourth Mav to drop 40+ as a rookie
• “The more time he’s on the floor and the more that he sees, the better he gets,” said Mavs coach Jason Kidd on Flagg. “He displayed that tonight.”

5. ROUNDUP: PISTONS, RAPTORS & GRIZZLIES DUB

On Nov. 26, the Celtics ended the Pistons’ 13-game win streak.

Last night, Detroit got its revenge to extend a new streak.

Pistons 112, Celtics 105: Cade Cunningham put on an offensive clinic (32 pts, 10 ast, 6-10 3PM), capped by back-to-back jumpers in the final two minutes to halt a late Celtics push, as the Pistons held on to notch their fourth straight dub, improving to an East-best 21-5. | Recap

• Purring: Cunningham scored 19 in the 2nd half, and the Pistons are averaging 125 ppg over their four-game heater – the 4th-most in the NBA in that span
• C’s Duo Shines: Jaylen Brown went off for Boston (34 pts, 8 reb, 7 ast), combining for 75 points with Derrick White (31 pts, 6 reb)

Raptors 106, Heat 96: Brandon Ingram posted 28 points, 5 boards and 5 dimes, Scottie Barnes did a bit of everything (17 pts, 10 reb, 6 ast, 3 blk) and the Raptors used a 31-19 4th quarter to top Bam Adebayo (20 pts, 10 reb) and Miami, halting Toronto’s four-game slide. | Recap

Grizzlies 121, Clippers 103: Jaren Jackson Jr. turned in 31 points and 5 blocks, while Cam Spencer dropped a career-high 27 points on seven 3s as the Grizz outpaced Kawhi Leonard (21 pts) and the Clips, moving Memphis to 6-2 in its last eight games. | Recap