The NBA Cup isn’t the NBA championship, but the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks have all the motivation they need to win this Wednesday. After all, each player from the winning side will pocket $530,000. So, who will go home with the title?
Catch this game live on Wednesday, December 16, 2025 at 9:30 AM, Manila time
San Antonio Spurs ( 18-7)
Projected Starting Five:
- De’Aaron Fox
- Stephon Castle
- Devin Vassell
- Harrison Barnes
- Victor Wembanyama
The return of Victor Wembanyama from a 12-game absence surely gave the Spurs a huge boost. With Wemby in the fold, San Antonio became just the second team to take down the reigning NBA champions Oklahoma City Thunder in the semifinal round of the 2025 NBA Cup last Sunday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Wembanyama came off the bench in the Thunder game and scored 22 points on 6/12 shooting with nine rebounds, two assists and two blocks. He had five turnovers, though, as he still had to deal with some rust after a long layoff. But expect Wembanyama to be more acclimated to the speed of NBA action again this Wednesday.
Returning from a long absence and playing the best team in the league right away with some extra stakes on the line and still putting up solid numbers says a lot about the capability of Wembanyama. That being said, San Antonio managed to go 9-3 straight up during his time away from action, clearly showing they are a talented bunch beyond just Wemby. De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell, Harrison Barnes, Dylan Harper, Keldon Johnson and Julian Champagnie are all averaging double-digits in scoring this season for San Antonio, which is seventh in the league with a 118.0 offensive rating.
New York Knicks (18-7)
Projected Starting Five:
- Jalen Brunson
- Josh Hart
- Mikal Bridges
- OG Anunoby
- Karl-Anthony Towns
The Knicks enter the NBA Cup title game on a five-game winning streak. They are fresh off a 132-120 win over the Orlando Magic in the semis. New York has also gone 9-1 straight up in its last 10 games. While the NBA Cup is not the end goal this season, the Knicks understand the value of winning regardless of what’s on the line.
While the Spurs appear to have the firepower to give New York trouble, the Knicks’ attack, statistically, is better than San Antonio’s. The Knicks are third in the league with 121.0 points per game and second with an offensive rating of 122.0. With Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns leading the charge inside and outside. Brunson is pacing the Knicks with 28.8 points per game, while Towns is putting up 22.4 points per outing while shooting 36.0 percent from behind the arc.
Things would be easier for New York against the Spurs if Wembanyama isn’t around, but the Knicks have enough weapons to spread things out on offense and limit the great defensive abilities of the Spurs’ big man. Speaking of which, Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby are great connectors, who can get things done on both sides of the floor — able to fill the gaps in the scoring department and on defense as well, thanks to their versatility.
Picks
Spread: Knicks (-2.5)
Over/Under: Under (231.0)
