San Antonio Spurs v New York Knicks
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 25: Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the New York Knicks and Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs battle for a rebound during the first quarter at Madison Square Garden on December 25, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)
The San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks will face off in the third-ever NBA Cup championship game later this week after both teams advanced through the semifinal round on Saturday night.
The Spurs beat the Oklahoma City Thunder while the Knicks beat the Orlando Magic to reach the Final. The last two rounds of the 2025 NBA Cup are being played at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
San Antonio will represent the Western Conference and was the third-seeded team in the West entering the knockout stage of the bracket. New York is representing the Eastern Conference and was also seeded third. The winner of the NBA Cup finals receives a trophy as well as a monetary prize.
What is the Emirates NBA Cup?
The NBA Cup, which used to be called the In-Season Tournament, is exactly that: a mini-tournament that takes place in the early part of the NBA season. Most NBA Cup action is a just regular season game with added stakes
According to the NBA’s official description of the competition, it is designed to “provide players and teams with another competition to win, engage fans in a new way, and drive additional interest in the early portion of the regular-season schedule.”
The NBA Cup was created in 2023 and has gone through some tweaks since its inception as the league figures out the best format. So far, the Los Angeles Lakers (2023) and Milwaukee Bucks (2024) have won the event.
What teams have been knocked out of the NBA Cup?
Technically, all 30 NBA teams participate in the NBA Cup, with 28 of them having been knocked out at this point. 22 were eliminated after the Group Play portion of the competition with the top four teams from the Eastern and Western Conferences advancing to the knockout stage.
The bracket portion of the tournament featured the Spurs, Thunder, Phoenix Suns, and Los Angeles Lakers in the West as well as the Knicks, Magic, Miami Heat, and Toronto Raptors in the East. The Magic beat the Heat and Knicks topped the Raptors in the East quarterfinals while the Thunder bested the Suns and the Spurs beat the Lakers. Now, only San Antonio and New York remain.
Which teams are playing in the NBA Cup final?
The New York Knicks will battle the San Antonio Spurs in the 2025 NBA Cup Final. In the first two years of the NBA Cup, the winner of the competition went on to lose in the first round of the NBA playoffs while the loser of the Cup Final has reached at least the Conference Finals.
What have been highlights of the NBA Cup so far?
The Raptors and Suns reaching the quarterfinals was the early highlight of the tournament. Those two teams have re-shaped their roster in the calendar year 2025 and are two of the more surprising teams this season. Their ascent put them on a bigger stage for the first of the Knockout Rounds.
When it comes to individuals, the stars of the NBA Cup have been Victor Wembanyama of the Spurs and Jalen Brunson of the Knicks. Wembanyama had not played since November 14 due to a calf injury, but he returned in the semifinals with a stunning game against the Thunder – he logged 22 points and nine rebounds in the victory. Beating Oklahoma City at all could be considered a highlight as the Thunder entered the game with a 24-1 record and having won 16-straight games.
Knicks star Jalen Brunson scored 40 points for the Knicks in their semifinal victory and posted 35 points in New York’s quarterfinal win over Toronto. He is having an outstanding tournament.
What are the odds and predictions for the NBA Cup final?
The Knicks are currently the favorites (-2.5) in the NBA Cup final according to a leading Sportsbook. The moneyline has New York at -126 and the Spurs at +108 with an over/under of 227.5.
The same leading Sportsbook has Brunson as the favorite to win MVP of the event with Wembanyama having the second-best odds.
NBAgame odds from FanDuel Sportsbook refresh periodically and are subject to change, including on props and live betting. Spreads listed on favorites.
Where is the NBA Cup final being played?
The NBA Cup final will be played at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The NBA Cup final will take place on Tuesday, December 16 at 8:30 p.m. ET.
Where can you watch or stream the NBA Cup final?
The NBA Cup final can be streamed on Prime Video and listened to on both ESPN Radio and SiriusXM.