Jalen Brunson scores 40 points, Knicks advance to NBA Cup Final with win vs. Magic
It’s not the banner the Knicks envisioned chasing this season, but after a 132-120 quarterfinal victory over the Orlando Magic on Tuesday, the NBA Cup is within their reach. And recent, limited history indicates that competing for the tournament banner in season gives you a head start on chasing the real one later.
In 2023, the first year of the Cup, the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Indiana Pacers to win the league’s first trophy of the season. The Pacers then made an appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals the following spring, following an injury to Tyrese Haliburton in Game 7 following a Cinderella finish last season.
In the second year of the Cup, the Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder. That Thunder team responded by winning its first NBA championship later that same season, outlasting Indiana in the 2025 Finals.
We’re now in year three of the league’s new experiment – and the pattern is no longer a coincidence.
After two consecutive quarterfinals, the Knicks are one of the last two teams standing in Las Vegas. They beat the Toronto Raptors in the quarterfinals on Tuesday, then punched their ticket to the NBA Cup Finals against the Magic on Saturday night.
And just like that, they joined a short list of teams with a 50 percent chance of doing something much bigger next.
The New York Knicks do exist. They started the season with championship aspirations, and a third of the way through the year, they’re finally starting to look like they’re up to it. And while an in-season tournament banner was never the goal, competing for one gave the world a glimpse of the heights this team’s ceiling has pushed to this year.
“I was one of those guys when they came up with the Cup idea, I was like, ‘Oh, man, what for? In the middle of the season? We’re trying to do this and that and practice and blah, blah, blah,'” head coach Mike Brown recalled after Friday’s practice. “It’s a fantastic experience for everyone. You really applaud the way the NBA has tried to continue to find ways to make this more meaningful across the board. So it’s a pleasure to be here.”
The Knicks therefore seem to be up to the task. Jalen Brunson also looks the part.
Brown expressed his wish that his All-Star point guard would finally receive MVP consideration. Performances like the one Brunson delivered on Saturday make a conversation without him impossible.
The Knicks captain dissected an Orlando defense specifically designed to crush him — a physical, switch-heavy unit designed to make every contact uncomfortable. Instead, Brunson made things look easy: 40 points and eight assists on 16-of-27 shooting from the field in New York’s most high-pressure game of the season.
“Yeah, [the Magic] are really physical. It’s what [Orlando’s head coach, Jamahl Mosley] is proud. The way they’ve been able to do that has allowed them to have a lot of success,” Brunson told reporters after Friday’s practice. “There’s a lot of ways to combat that. Obviously with the physique. But I would move it, with space and transitions, stopping and running. I think whatever happens, they will play their solid basketball. We have to play ours and do it to the best of our abilities.
Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 29 points and eight rebounds, and OG Anunoby added 24 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field, as the Knicks improved to 17-0 in games they lead after three quarters.
Jalen Suggs scored 26 points for the Orlando Magic but left in the second half due to injury. Paolo Banchero scored 25 points and Desmond Bane added 18, but the Magic couldn’t match New York’s firepower, with both teams missing key contributors on the injury report. Miles McBride is nursing an ankle injury and Landry Shamet is recovering from a sprained shoulder, while fringe All-Star Franz Wagner remains out with his own sprained ankle.
It’s now one more match in Las Vegas against the best in the West. The NBA Cup is starting to be a true playoff preview, and the Knicks are living up to the initial announcement that they can compete for their first title in decades this season.
