The San Antonio Spurs toppled the defending league champion Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Cup, and surge in the power rankings as a result.

San Antonio rookie Dylan Harper had a season-high 24 points and the Spurs led for all but 22 seconds in defeating the Washington Wizards 119-94 on Thursday night to rebound from a disappointing loss i

The Knicks and Spurs are set to face off in the NBA Cup final, both entering with 18-7 records. Although the game won't affect their records, it holds significant meaning.

The Knicks started the third just 2-of-8 from the floor, allowing the Spurs to open a double-digit lead. New York would bring it back down to single digits, but the highlight was this Victor Wembanyama reverse alley-oop slam.

Despite losing to the Knicks in Tuesday's NBA Cup championship game, the Spurs believe their experience in such high-stakes matchups will only benefit them as they build toward a postseason run.

Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs showed the entire NBA that they can hang with anyone, and aren't going away anytime soon.

The speedy guard averaged 22.3 points, 7.7 assists and 2 steals per game in helping the Spurs reach the final and finish with a 5-2 record in the tournament.

ESPN analyst Kevin Pelton breaks down how the finalist Spurs and semifinalist Magic can use their cup experience for the postseason.