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In a league built on stars, the NBA Cup Final centers on one towering figure: Victor Wembanyama.
At 7 feet 4 inches tall, the 21-year-old from France bends the geometry of the game, blending guard-like skill with unmatched reach.
“Wembanyama changes everything at the defensive end of the floor … everything,” commentator Stan Van Gundy proclaimed during the San Antonio Spurs’ 111–109 semifinal win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Wembanyama’s return from injury has turned the Spurs (18–7) into appointment viewing, with a young roster rapidly growing around a generational talent.
The New York Knicks (also 18–7) arrive at Tuesday’s NBA Cup Final as the favorite and an established contender, led by an MVP candidate of their own: Jalen Brunson.
New York plays a deliberate, physical style built for big moments and the weight of Madison Square Garden expectations.
The Knicks carried that edge to Las Vegas with a 130–120 semifinal win over the Orlando Magic, powered by Brunson’s 40-point performance.
The Spurs, meanwhile, won over the Vegas crowd by snapping the Thunder’s 16-game winning streak on Saturday night.
The third-annual NBA Cup Final pits two surging teams with one shared certainty: the scoreboard should stay busy.
Created to add stakes to early-season games, the NBA Cup offers both teams a trophy, prize money, and momentum before the regular-season grind resumes.
Tip off is 7:30 p.m. CST. The game streams on Amazon Prime Video, with live local radio coverage available on WOAI 1200 AM, Spanish-language radio coverage on KXTN 1350 AM and 107.5 FM, and watch parties planned across San Antonio.
