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OG Anunoby scored 28 points as the New York Knicks ended their 52-year trophy drought by beating the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Cup final.
The London-born forward finished with five three-pointers as the Knicks came from 11 points down in the third quarter to win 124-113 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Point guard Jalen Brunson, who was named the NBA Cup’s Most Valuable Player, scored 25 points as the Knicks won the third edition of the mid-season tournament to claim their first silverware since winning the 1973 NBA Finals.
“We found a way to win,” said Brunson. “That’s going to be our motto going forward: we’re going to find a way.”
Mike Brown, who is in his first year as Knicks head coach, said: “Any time you can participate in an event where you’re the last one standing and you’re able to hang a banner, you take that seriously. And all of our guys took that seriously.”
San Antonio upset top seeds and reigning NBA champions Oklahoma City Thunder in Saturday’s semi-finals thanks to a superb display from Victor Wembanyama.
In his second game after missing 12 straight matches with a calf injury, he was limited to 18 points and 25 minutes off the bench.
An emotional Wembanyama fought back tears at a brief post-game news conference, saying: “Sorry, I just lost somebody today.”
Seven Knicks players reached double figures in points. Karl-Anthony Towns claimed 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Mitchell Robertson had 15 rebounds and two blocks from the bench.
Dylan Harper led the scoring for the Spurs with 21 points.
Victory was the Knicks’ sixth in a row – and 10th in 11 games – although the final does not count towards the regular-season standings.
They are second in the Eastern Conference and the Spurs are fourth in the West.
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23 October 2024
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