Villanova Knicks Win NBA Cup Championship; Brunson MVP

The Villanova Knicks won the third annual NBA Cup Championship on Tuesday, Dec. 16, defeating the San Antonio Spurs 124-113 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Wildcats alumnus and two-time national champion Jalen Brunson earned tournament MVP honors after averaging 33.2 points per game across the six game schedule.

That included a 40 point outburst in the semifinal round. Brunson ranks seventh in the NBA in scoring this season (28.8 PPG) and sixteenth in assists (6.4 per game), well on his way to a third straight season as an All-Star. Each of the players on the Knicks will earn $530,933 for their championship win, including fellow Villanova alumni Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges.

Brunson scored 25 points and racked up eight assists in the championship game. Bridges and Hart contributed 11 points apiece: Hart added eight rebounds and Bridges accounted for five boards and five assists, doing a little bit of everything to help New York close out the win.

For a related story, the Knicks are trying to add a fourth national championship winning Villanova product to the fold.