On Tuesday, December 16th, the San Antonio Spurs face the New York Knicks in the 2025 Emirates NBA Cup championship. This has been an exciting tournament thus far, and the finals shouldn’t be any different. These games have been highly competitive over the course of the event, but this is the one in which each player from the championship team will leave T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada with $530,933. That said, keep reading for odds, picks, and player props for this game, and make sure you also check out our live VSiN programming for more analysis. Our talented hosts and analysts will surely spend some time talking about this game.
MORE: Head to the Pro Picks page for best bets from all of our VSiN hosts and analysts!
How To Watch Spurs vs. Knicks
When: Tuesday, December 16th at 8:30 pm ET
Where: T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada
Channel: Prime Video
Spurs vs. Knicks Odds
Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook as of Monday, December 15th. Look around for the best prices!
Moneyline: Knicks -142, Spurs +120
Spread: Knicks -2.5 (-115), Spurs +2.5 (-105)
Total: Over 230.5 (-108), Under 230.5 (-112)
Spurs vs. Knicks Prediction
It’s a little surprising to see the Knicks available for as low as -136 here. While the Spurs snapped the Thunder’s 16-game winning streak, there’s an entire season’s worth of numbers that suggest Mike Brown’s team is the right play here. Looking at Dunks & Threes’ adjusted net rating, New York currently sits at fourth in the NBA at +6.6. Meanwhile, San Antonio’s +3.4 aNET is good for just eighth in the NBA. The Knicks also happen to be second in the NBA in adjusted offensive rating (120.7) and 12th in adjusted defensive rating (114.1). That gives them an edge over the Spurs (7th in aORTG, 15th in aDRTG) on both ends of the floor.
Another thing that’s worth considering right off the bat is Victor Wembanyama’s minutes restriction. We saw that Wembanyama doesn’t need much time to impact games last round, as he had 22 points, nine rebounds, and two blocks in 21 minutes against Oklahoma City. He also finished as a +21 in his time on the floor. However, it’s a huge advantage that New York’s stars will be on the floor longer than San Antonio’s stars. I’m not sure anybody can refute that.
The Knicks are also a little older and more experienced than the Spurs. This group has guys that have played in big games before, which should be a bit of an advantage. Some of San Antonio’s players admitted to having some jitters early against Oklahoma City. Well, some of those jitters should be present to start the championship game. I also wonder if this might be a letdown scenario for the Spurs. I know that’s crazy to say about a game with high stakes, but San Antonio just beat an Oklahoma City team that many viewed as unbeatable. The Spurs also celebrated that victory like they won the NBA title. Will Mitch Johnson find a way to get them locked back in? I know this is a focused, hungry basketball team, but it isn’t crazy to think that they might have enjoyed their win over the Thunder a little too much. Meanwhile, the Knicks’ win over the Magic was just another victory.
In terms of the actual on-court battle, it’s hard to see anybody on the Spurs stepping up and stopping Jalen Brunson. Stephon Castle is an awesome perimeter defender, but Brunson should get the better of the youngster with his patience, footwork, and lower-body strength. All of that should amount to Brunson getting good shots in the mid-range area, plus we know he’s going to knock down some triples. Brunson is averaging 36.2 points per game since Miles McBride went down. He’s not going to disappear here. Also, if San Antonio focuses too much on the talented point guard, the rest of this New York team is capable of making plays. And I’ll even point out that Karl-Anthony Towns’ ability to space the floor could be massive here. He’s going to pull Wembanyama away from the basket, allowing the rest of the Knicks to finish at the rim.
There’s also a chance New York looks alright defensively in this game. Over the last 10 games, the Knicks are fourth in the NBA in defensive rating. They’re doing a much better job defending as a team than they did under Tom Thibodeau, and they have a bunch of good, versatile individual defenders that can handle their assignments. The one I’ll have my eyes on is OG Anunoby. Not only can he defend wings, but his strength and overall defensive savvy should allow him to trouble Wembanyama in some short spurts.
The Knicks are also 13-4 straight-up this season when facing teams that allow opponents to shoot at least 46.0% from the floor. On top of that, they’re 9-4 SU when facing teams that average 116.0 or more points per game. They’re handling their business in tough matchups, which makes it pretty easy to envision them finding a way to get across the finish line here — especially with the Spurs garnering all the media attention over the last few days, which can’t possibly sit well with New York’s players.
In addition to liking New York to win this game, I also think Mikal Bridges will score at least 15 points. Bridges has scored at least 15 points in all of the games he has played with Brunson and without McBride. He’s also averaging 18.6 points per game in such games, and this isn’t the worst matchup for him. San Antonio is just 23rd in the league at guarding spot-up attempts, which should allow Bridges to do some damage as a shooter. The Spurs can also struggle with dribble-handoffs and screens, so Bridges could thrive when the Knicks are looking to get him moving off the ball.
Best Bets: Knicks ML (-136 – 1.5 units) & Bridges Over 14.5 Points (-110)
