Spurs got an education down the stretch in NBA Cup title game loss to Knicks

LAS VEGAS (AP) — For San Antonio, the NBA Cup final was an education. A painful education.

The Spurs let an 11-point third quarter lead slip away and then some on Tuesday night, falling to the New York Knicks 124-113 in the Cup championship game.

San Antonio led 92-81 with 2 minutes left in the third quarter, when Victor Wembanyama — who played off the bench once again as he works his way back from a strained left calf — connected on a deep 3-pointer.

The score the rest of the way: Knicks 43, Spurs 21. San Antonio shot 6 for 23 over those final 14 minutes. It got outrebounded 25-8 — a staggering differential. The Knicks outscored the Spurs 18-4 in the paint over that stretch, too.

All one-sided numbers, and that's how the game got away.

“It’s do-or-die, I think, out there,” said Spurs rookie Dylan Harper, who led San Antonio with 21 points off the bench. "You’ve seen the level of intensity rise up for us, and them. Obviously, they came out with the win. But for us, it's not taking anything for granted; I think that's the biggest thing. When we all go out there, we all know that we've got to play 110% in order to win things like this.”

The Knicks wound up splitting about $5 million in additional bonus money, pushing their total to $530,933 per player for winning the Cup. The Spurs had to settle — such as it is — for $212,373 each.

"I'm assuming that we're feeling pretty frustrated because we lost the game," Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. "I’m also feeling after 25 games in, I believe, that we’ve shown some signs that we can be a pretty good team. And we’ve also shown that we have a lot of areas of improvement. And I think that’s where we’re living today and hopefully tomorrow. We can continue to get a little bit better and minimize some of the things that we need to improve on.”

The Spurs are 18-7; Tuesday's loss doesn't factor into the record for this season. They've had four of their key players — Wembanyama, Harper, De'Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle — together for exactly two games, those being the Cup semifinal win over Oklahoma City on Saturday and the Cup final loss to the Knicks. The only teams in the Western Conference with better records than the Spurs right now are the Thunder and Denver.

There's a lot to like, even on a night that didn't go San Antonio's way.

Wembanyama was emotional afterward, for reasons that had nothing to do with the outcome. He revealed following the game that his grandmother died earlier in the day.

When asked about the game, he indicated it would be a learning experience.

“It's the best practice for important games,” Wembanyama said. “Of course, our focus is already on the playoffs. Playoffs are going to be the biggest time of the year, so I guess it's good that we got this experience today.”

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

San Antonio Spurs guard De'Aaron Fox (4) shoots against New York Knicks guard Tyler Kolek (13) during the first half of the NBA Cup championship basketball game Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ian Maule)

San Antonio Spurs guard Dylan Harper (2) shoots against the New York Knicks during the first half of the NBA Cup championship basketball game Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ian Maule)

San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle (5) reacts after a dunk against the New York Knicks during the first half of the NBA Cup championship basketball game Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ian Maule)

San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle (5) shoots the ball past New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) in the second half of an NBA Cup championship basketball game, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, in Las Vegas. (Kirby Lee/Pool Photo via AP)

San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama, right, dunks the ball past New York Knicks guard Tyler Kolek in the second half of an NBA Cup championship basketball game, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, in Las Vegas. (Kirby Lee/Pool Photo via AP)

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Katie Chan scored her first PWHL goal and the Vancouver Goldeneyes edged the Ottawa Charge 2-1 on Tuesday night.

Chan, who is from the Vancouver suburb of Richmond, British Columbia, swatted in a puck to give the Goldeneyes the lead 7:40 into the game.

Jenn Gardiner doubled the lead 3:36 into the second, stealing a puck in the neutral zone, sprinting in for a breakaway and pinging a shot in off the crossbar.

Kristen Campbell stopped 32 of the 33 shots she faced and for her first win in a Vancouver jersey.

Anna Shokhina scored for the Charge, shoveling a shot in from the top of the crease 14:17 into the third, while Gwyneth Philips made 27 saves.

After getting outscored 13-6 over their first three games, Vancouver has posted back-to-back wins behind solid defense and stellar goaltending.

The Charge have lost three in a row.

The victory made the Goldeneyes the first team in PWHL history to win the first three home games of their inaugural season.

Charge: Visit Seattle on Wednesday.

Goldeneyes: Host Montreal on Saturday.

AP women’s hockey: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-hockey

Ottawa Charge's Anna Shokhina (97) celebrates her goal as she trips over Vancouver Goldeneyes goaltender Kristen Campbell (50) during the third period of a PWHL hockey game in Vancouver, British Columbia, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press via AP)

Vancouver Goldeneyes' Claire Thompson (42) and Ottawa Charge's Sarah Wozniewicz (23) vie for the puck during the third period of a PWHL hockey game in Vancouver, British Columbia, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press via AP)

Ottawa Charge goaltender Gwyneth Philips (33) stops Vancouver Goldeneyes' Tereza Vanisova (13) during the third period of a PWHL hockey game in Vancouver, British Columbia, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press via AP)

Vancouver Goldeneyes' Anna Segedi (51) and Ottawa Charge's Mannon McMahon (18) vie for the puck during the third period of a PWHL hockey game in Vancouver, British Columbia, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press via AP)

Vancouver Goldeneyes' Hannah Miller (34) hits Ottawa Charge's Brooke Hobson (11) as Rory Guilday (5) watches during the third period of a PWHL hockey game in Vancouver, British Columbia, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press via AP)