LAS VEGAS (AP) — Jalen Brunson scored at least 30 points for his fourth straight game on Saturday, with his season-high 40 points leading the Knicks to a 132-120 victory over the Orlando Magic on Saturday, sending New York into the NBA Cup finals.
The Knicks have won five straight and nine of 10 games and will face the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night for the championship.
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Brunson also had eight assists and hit 16 of 27 shots, including a 3-pointer in the third quarter after Orlando’s Anthony Blake went down. The Knicks’ Karl-Anthony Towns scored 29 points and OG Anunoby scored 24 points.
Jalen Suggs scored 25 of the Magic’s 26 points in the first half but left the game in the fourth quarter with left hip soreness. Paolo Banchero scored 25 points and Desmond Bane scored 18 points.
Spurs 111, Thunder 109
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Victor Wembanyama returned from a 12-game absence and had 22 points and nine rebounds to help the Spurs make a huge improvement while Oklahoma City suffered its second loss.
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The Spurs will face the New York Knicks in the finals on Tuesday night.
Oklahoma’s last loss was to Portland on November 5, a game in which the Thunder had won 16 straight games. Their current record is 24 wins and 2 losses, which is the second-best start behind the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors’ 25 wins and 1 loss.
It was the Thunder’s second straight loss in Las Vegas. They also lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in last year’s finals, 97-81.
Wembunyama got “MVP” chants from the supporting Spurs fans as he finished with a +21 rating in 21 minutes. Teammate Devin Vassell scored 23 points, and De’Aaron Fox and Stephen Castle each scored 22 points.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a Thunder-high 29 points, while Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams scored 17 points each.
