Limited minutes. Unlimited impact.
Wemby’s return ignited an instant classic in the Emirates NBA Cup Semifinals, setting the stage for a can’t-miss Championship Tuesday.
5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
Dec. 14, 2025
Spurs Stun Thunder: Wemby sparks San Antonio to edge OKC in a back-and-forth Cup thriller
Giant Slayers: A blossoming backcourt fuels the Spurs’ surge through Western powers
Knicks Top Magic: Jalen Brunson’s 40-ball boosts NY past Orlando to reach Cup Championship
Vegas All-Access: All the scenes from Saturday’s semis, from the red carpet to the winning locker rooms
League Pass Spotlight: Rick Carlisle eyes his 1,000th career win as a head coach today
BUT FIRST … ⏰
Forty-eight minutes for the Cup…
The Emirates NBA Cup Championship is set as the Spurs face the Knicks in Tuesday’s winner-take-all showdown in Las Vegas (8:30 ET, Prime). Witness the Cup winner crowned in person – secure your tickets here.
Eight games tip off today on League Pass, starting in Indy as the Pacers host the Wizards with Rick Carlisle sitting at 999 career wins (3 ET).
NBA 2K League Heating Up: Diehard fans and gaming pros go head-to-head in 2K, with snakes, insults and bug-eating included. Tournament 2 goes live this weekend – follow the action on Twitch.
1. WEMBY SPARKS SPURS RALLY PAST OKC TO REACH CUP CHAMPIONSHIP
The defending NBA champions. Tied for the best 25-game start in NBA history. Riding a franchise-record 16-game win streak.
OKC rolled into Saturday’s Emirates NBA Cup Semifinal like a hurricane – with more 20-point wins (9) than losses this season (1) – demolishing everything that dared get in its way.
Insert Wemby – and a Spurs squad that met the storm head-on.
Spurs 111, Thunder 109: In his first outing since Nov. 14, Victor Wembanyama stamped his return, posting 22 points, 9 boards and 2 blocks in 21 minutes to ignite San Antonio past OKC in a comeback thriller, sending the Spurs to Tuesday’s NBA Cup Championship game against the Knicks. | Recap
Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images
The Swing: With OKC up 16 late in the 2nd quarter, Spurs coach Mitch Johnson sent Wembanyama to the scorer’s table. He had played just 3 minutes up to that point. But he was about to change the game.
- Checking In: With Wemby patrolling the paint, the rim suddenly shrank for OKC, which missed its last seven 1st-half shots and was held scoreless over the final three minutes
- Turning Up: Meanwhile, San Antonio went off: De’Aaron Fox with 6 straight points, Devin Vassell with a pair, a Dylan Harper bucket and then a massive pull-up 3 from Wemby with 14 ticks left
- Turning Point: It was a 15-2 run, cutting the deficit to 3 as San Antonio seized momentum entering the break, with Wemby holding a +20 plus-minus in 7 minutes of action
The Finish: The run set the stage for an epic ending. Two heavyweights – one champ and one challenger – trading blows in a 4th quarter that featured three ties and six lead changes.
- Wemby Delivered: After an outrageous Alien sequence to start the 4th, Wemby opened clutch time with another, tying the game with 4:09 left with a one-handed alley-oop hammer
- No Flinch: Then, he went right at one of the game’s top defenders, Alex Caruso, fighting through his swipes to somehow get this fadeaway to fall – giving San Antonio the lead
- Closing Time: The Spurs never trailed again, knocking down a string of clutch free throws, including four from Wemby
- His Moment: He finished with 15 points in the 4th in just eight minutes, punctuating a statement return with a signature win
- “We think he’s the best player in the league,” said Stephon Castle (22 pts) on Wemby postgame. “He’s not gonna say it, but I know he feels it inside. So [not surprised] to see him assert his dominance.”
Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images
More Than A Win: Last night marked Wembanyama’s 98th straight game with at least one block, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander notched his 97th straight 20-piece, leading OKC with 29 points and 5 assists.
But Saturday was about another streak and the team that snapped it. OKC’s dominant 16-game heater, with an average winning margin of 20.8 ppg, ending at the hands of an up-and-coming Spurs squad that may have just arrived.
- “Winning against a team like this … it’s not an easy thing,” said Wemby postgame. “That’s only their second loss of the season – it means something.”
2. GIANT SLAYERS: GUARDS DRIVE SPURS THROUGH WEST’S BEST
Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images
The Spurs finished last season 14 games below .500 and 13th in the West.
Entering Saturday, only four teams sat above them in the conference standings: the Thunder, Nuggets, Rockets and Lakers.
They’ve now beaten all four in Cup Play – with those squads combining for 48 All-NBA selections, including the likes of Shai, Luka, LeBron, Jokić and KD.
- “We have supreme confidence against any team in the league,” said Stephon Castle postgame. “People were saying [the Thunder] were unbeatable, but we come in every day thinking we’re unbeatable too.”
Rolling: San Antonio has now won 10 of its last 13 games. The first 12 came without Wemby, with the lineup stepping up top to bottom, fueled by a backcourt that blends experience, energy and speed.
- Vet Boost: De’Aaron Fox has guided San Antonio over the 10-3 stretch, averaging 24.9 points and 6.3 assists while shooting 40.7% from deep in that span
- Next Wave: Rookie Dylan Harper (12.9 ppg) and Devin Vassell (17.6) have also stepped up, combining for 30+ ppg over the last 13
- Here Comes Castle: Meanwhile, San Antonio has gone 4-0 since Stephon Castle’s return, with him averaging 26 ppg in the Cup Knockout Rounds
Last night, the four guards combined for 75 points, with Vassell (23), Fox (22) and Castle (22) all scoring 20+ and all coming up big in big-time moments.
- Fox First: It was Fox that set the tone after the break, running the floor for three early buckets in the 3rd to give San Antonio its first lead of the game
- Clutch Gene: Vassell scored 17 points in the 2nd half, including two go-ahead 3s in the 4th before hitting two lead-extending free throws with 3 seconds left
- Two-Way Work: Castle also came up big, helping Vassell check SGA defensively while adding 6 points in the 4th, including back-to-back buckets capped by a go-ahead jam
- “It shows we’re serious,” said Castle on the clutch win. “It shows our maturity … I feel like we have a lot of guys who can do it, any given night.”
Now, San Antonio gets to showcase that growth on an even bigger stage Tuesday – with the NBA Cup trophy on the line.
3. BRUNSON & KNICKS OUTPACE MAGIC, ADVANCE TO CHAMPIONSHIP
With hardware hanging in the balance, the reigning Kia Clutch Player of the Year delivered – and made sure it never came down to crunch time.
Knicks 132, Magic 120: Jalen Brunson poured in 25 of his season-high 40 points in the 1st half, while dropping a game-high 8 dimes, and the Knicks used a 15-3 run at the end of the 3rd to take control, outpacing Orlando to advance to Tuesday’s Cup Championship. | Recap
- Brunson Balling: It’s Brunson’s fourth straight 30-piece and his 88th as a Knick, surpassing Richie Guerin for the third-most in franchise history
- Kings Of NY: The only Knicks ahead of him? Patrick Ewing (203) and Carmelo Anthony (108)
- “It’s beautiful to be able to see him do what he’s more than capable of doing on a national stage like this, in an environment like this,” said Knicks coach Mike Brown on Brunson
- “So [fans & media] can continue talking about him as an MVP of this league – because that’s exactly what he is.”
Brunson wasn’t alone.
New York’s starters combined for 121 points, all finishing in double figures for the 7th time this season – tied for the 2nd-most in the NBA – to secure their ninth win in 10 games, including five straight.
- Thunder KAT: Karl-Anthony Towns added 29 points, 8 boards and a dagger and-1 in the 4th, while OG Anunoby scored 24
- Hart Hustle: Josh Hart was everywhere (12 pts, 6 reb, 6 ast, 3 stl, 1 blk), winning 50/50 balls in a game with 10 ties and 11 lead changes, while Mikal Bridges did his thing (16 pts, 7-13 FG)
On The Attack: The Knicks entered Saturday averaging the third-most made 3s in the NBA (15.4) on 40.8 attempts from deep.
Facing the Magic for the fourth time this season – a team that had beaten them twice and allowed just 105.6 points in its previous five Cup games – New York didn’t settle. It attacked.
- Inside Job: The Knicks shot a season-low 20 3s, with 44 of their 51 field goals coming inside the arc, including 70 points in the paint
- All-Star Eats: That included 20 points in the paint from Brunson (16-27 FG) and 12 from Towns (9-11 FG), as they both finished a combined 25-of-38 from the floor (65.8%)
- “Attack, attack, attack,” said Brunson postgame on getting inside. “I know more times than not I can get a decent shot … I’m comfortable being uncomfortable.”
Valiant Magic: Jalen Suggs (26 pts, 25 in 1H) and Paolo Banchero (25 pts, 8 reb) led Orlando, which was eliminated after a 5-0 run in Cup Play.
New York advances to Tuesday’s championship, with Wemby and the Spurs looking to topple another NBA power.
4. VEGAS ALL-ACCESS: ON THE GROUND FOR SATURDAY’S SEMIS
Saturday in Vegas brought more than two semifinals – it showcased the Emirates NBA Cup at its peak.
Heightened stakes. Brighter lights. A stage built for stars.
- Red Carpet Arrivals: The semifinalists arrived at T-Mobile Arena in style, walking the red carpet before turning their focus to the floor
- Inside The Locker Room: Mike Brown set the tone for New York pregame, reminding his team that moments like Saturday are rare
- Putting On A Show: Jalen Brunson took advantage, adding an electric ankle-breaker to his 40-piece that had the Knicks bench losing it
- Construction KAT: After the win, KAT threw on his Timbs and hard hat to get back to work
Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images
The buzz of the Knicks’ win gave way to the tension and anticipation of the reigning NBA champ’s latest and greatest challenge: surging San Antonio and the return of Victor Wembanyama.
- Warmup With Wemby: The Spurs’ superstar described himself as “fresh” coming off a 12-game hiatus due to injury, and he certainly looked it in warmups
- Shai’s Game-Ready: SGA’s shot was true – all rips, no rim – in the final shootaround before tip
- Meeting The Moment: “You guys have earned the opportunity.” Coach Mitch Johnson hypes up his young, prepared Spurs during pregame
- Majestic Wembanyama: Speed and smoothness stand out in this courtside angle of Wemby’s fadeaway jumper
Now, Wemby’s Spurs and Brunson’s Knicks aim to put on one more show-stopper Tuesday, with the NBA Cup on the line.
- “We got one more to go,” Keldon Johnson told our all-access team. “We ain’t done yet!”
5. TODAY ON LEAGUE PASS: RICK CARLISLE EYES 1,000TH CAREER WIN
Only ten other head coaches have done it.
One thousand career NBA wins.
Today (3 ET), Rick Carlisle will look to become the 11th as his Pacers host the Wizards to tip off Sunday’s slate on League Pass.
“Amazing career,” said Pascal Siakam this week on Carlisle. “He’s won at the highest level, coached Hall of Famers … it’s an amazing accomplishment.”
Carlisle’s first win came on Nov. 1, 2001, with the Pistons at age 42. That same season, he won NBA Coach of the Year – the first marker of an all-time head coaching career.
- The Journey: Carlisle’s spent 24 seasons as an NBA head coach: two with Detroit (2001-03), 13 with Dallas (2008-21) and nine in two different stints in Indy (2003-07 & 2021-present)
- The Wins: That includes a franchise record 555 wins with the Mavs – highlighted by the team’s legendary 2011 NBA championship run – plus 344 wins with the Pacers, who he led to last year’s Finals
- The Resume: He’s reached the Playoffs 16 times, coached six Hall of Famers and is one of only 16 people to win an NBA title as both a player and a coach
Dylan Buell/NBAE via Getty Images
But Carlisle’s best qualities can’t be quantified.
They’re found in the impression he’s made on his players and peers – from constantly bringing out the best in his teams to advocating for coaches as President of the National Basketball Coaches Association.
- “He’s really been so selfless. Trying to help all coaches – not just head coaches … he’s been just a terrific leader,” said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra on Carlisle earlier this month.
- “In terms of how many wins he has, it just shows you his longevity – his basketball acumen. I have the utmost respect for him.”
Seven more games tip off today on League Pass, including two Cup Quarterfinalists back in action as LeBron James, Luka Dončić and the Lakers face Dillon Brooks and the Suns (8 ET).
Plus, Jalen Johnson seeks his fourth straight triple-double as Atlanta hosts Philly (6 ET), with Joel Embiid coming off a season-high 39 points.
- Hornets at Cavaliers (3:30 ET)
- Bucks at Nets (6 ET)
- Kings at Wolves (7 ET)
- Pelicans at Bulls (7 ET)
- Warriors at Blazers (9 ET)
