While celebrations for an NBA Cup title stick in the craw of basketball purists, the Knicks need to dust off their trophy case and find room for a new piece of hardware.

The Knicks were crowned champions of the league's in-season tournament on Tuesday night, as they outlasted the Spurs, 124-113, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

By winning the finals matchup, Knicks players earned a cash prize of $530,933 each.

Here are the takeaways...

-- The incentive to compete was clear from the jump, as both teams played up-tempo and produced runs in a closely contested first quarter. After making three of the game's first four buckets, the Knicks allowed the Spurs to score nine unanswered points, and the heat-check also occurred without superstar Victor Wembanyama -- he came off the bench midway through the opening period, under a minutes restriction. But the Knicks regrouped with help from OG Anunoby, who added 10 points on two-made threes. After one, the Spurs led by two, 30-28.

-- There was no change of pace in the second quarter. The Spurs kept their foot on the gas, extending their lead to seven at the halfway mark by forcing turnovers and spreading the floor in transition. They also saw De'Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle work as catalysts, contributing 15 combined assists. But the Knicks stayed in striking distance, cutting their deficit to one with 2:28 left in the half and knotting the score at 59-59 in the final minute. While the Spurs entered the break ahead by two, Anunoby flexed his muscles by adding another 10 points (20 total).

-- It took just two minutes of third-quarter action to notice an energy shift. The Spurs returned from the locker room with tenacity, orchestrating a quick 9-2 run that forced the Knicks to call timeout. By the halfway point, the Knicks' deficit reached double-digits, and to add injury to insult, Karl-Anthony Towns hurt his left leg after driving to the hoop on a contested layup. While the Knicks' star received treatment on the bench, Wembanyama took advantage of his limited time with the rock, finishing the quarter with 13 points (16 total). Still, the Knicks kept things tight, finishing the quarter on an 8-2 run to trim their deficit to 94-89.

-- The fourth quarter opened with a complete role reversal. Behind a pair of threes from Jordan Clarkson off the bench, the Knicks caught fire with eight unanswered points in 93 seconds that extended their run to 16-2, placed them ahead by three, and forced the Spurs to use a timeout. After the break, the Knicks stretched their lead to 104-97 on a three from Anunoby and a pair of jumpers from Jalen Brunson, who delivered a relatively quiet 23 points up until that point. With 4:49 remaining, Towns surprisingly checked back in after spending more than 10 minutes on the bench. The broadcast crew reported moments earlier that Towns had reaggravated a lingering calf issue.

-- Josh Hart gave the Knicks their largest lead of the night with 2:58 left, draining a three with a noticeable limp from the left wing to push the score to 115-107. Then, after a three from Harper that cut the Spurs' deficit to five, Anunoby took charge again with a corner three that widened the margin back to eight. The momentum swing placed the Spurs in a closing-minutes hole they simply couldn't climb out of, and when the final buzzer sounded, the Knicks were crowned winners of the third NBA Cup.

-- From start to finish, the pace was intense. Both teams combined for 204 shots, and the Knicks made just one more three (15) than the Spurs (14). The difference was seen on the boards, as the Knicks out-rebounded the Spurs, 59-42, and scored 12 more points in the paint. The Knicks' leader on the glass was Mitchell Robinson, who racked up 15 boards in 18 minutes. Towns wound up playing 30 minutes, adding 16 points. The early fourth-quarter swing gave the Knicks a jolt -- they outscored the Spurs, 35-19, during the 12-minute stretch.

Game MVP: OG Anunoby

Anunoby found a groove early and never gave it up. He finished with a game-high 28 points on 10-of-17 shooting with eight rebounds and three assists. It was Brunson who earned NBA Cup MVP honors, however -- he scored 25 on 11-of-27 shooting with eight assists and four boards.

Here are the takeaways...

Game MVP: OG Anunoby

Highlights

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