Role players key Knicks’ rally over Spurs in NBA Cup title game — PHOTOS

Jordan Clarkson is taking on a new role in his first season with the Knicks, as the veteran guard is averaging career lows in points, minutes and 3-point shooting percentage.

But he knows he can still get a bucket when his team needs it, a trait the 33-year-old showed again with some big shots to help New York to a 124-113 win over the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Cup championship game Tuesday at T-Mobile Arena.

Clarkson hit back-to-back 3s early in the fourth quarter as part of a 15-point effort to give the Knicks a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

“I was just being aggressive,” he said amid a somewhat muted locker room celebration. “My teammates, coaches and everyone tells me to just come in and let it fly. I had some opportunities, and I just converted. They gave me the confidence to come in and do it.”

Clarkson is averaging less than 10 points per game for the first time in his 12-year career. He scored two points in Saturday’s semifinal win over the Orlando Magic and went scoreless on five shots in a home game against Orlando last week, but knows what he’s capable of doing on any given night.

“I always have confidence,” he said. “But earning the respect of my teammates as the new guy on the block is nice. Them having that trust in me and coach having the trust in me to leave me out there in the fourth to do that felt amazing.”

Role players crucial

Clarkson was one of several role players to step up on a night when tournament MVP Jalen Brunson went 11-for-27 from the field, finishing with 25 points and eight assists.

“Without Tyler Kolek, OG Anunoby, Mitchell Robinson and Jordan Clarkson, we don’t win this game,” Brunson said. “They played their (tails) off tonight.”

Anunoby had 28 points and nine rebounds. Kolek scored a season-high 14 points, and Robinson had 15 rebounds.

Robinson also made two shots, including a tip-in dunk on the offensive glass to cut San Antonio’s lead to 94-91 on the first possession of the fourth quarter.

Clarkson hit a 3-pointer on the next possession and followed 21 seconds later with another after Robinson grabbed an offensive rebound and kicked the ball out to him.

It was one of 10 rebounds Robinson secured on the offensive end.

The game does not count in the standings, but each Knicks player will receive $530,933 for winning the tournament.

They also got to lift the trophy for the first time and gain valuable championship experience for what they hope will be a deep run in the postseason.

“Just adding to the legacy of the Knicks,” Clarkson said. “We want to do something special, but we’re still taking it one day at a time and enjoying the steps along the way.”

Rookie Dylan Harper, the No. 2 pick in the 2025 NBA draft, led the Spurs with 21 points.

Wembanyama plays 24 minutes

Star center Victor Wembanyama had 18 points and six rebounds in his second game back from missing a month because of a calf injury.

He played 24 minutes, but was far less effective than he was in Saturday’s semifinal win over the Oklahoma City Thunder when he was plus-21 in 20 minutes. The Spurs were outscored by 18 points by the Knicks when Wembanyama was on the floor, including a minus-14 in the fourth quarter when he went 0-for-4 with two points, zero assists and zero rebounds.

“We struggled more as a team, so that probably played a part in that,” San Antonio coach Mitch Johnson said. “We gave up a lot of offensive rebounds, which hurt us getting out in transition. “There were a couple times offensively we got a little bit in a rush or in a hurry.

“I think it was probably more of a team thing than I thought Victor was individually struggling.”

Wembanyama might have been playing with a heavy heart. During a brief postgame news conference, he teared up and apologized for the short appearance, saying only he had “lost someone” today.

The Spurs led by 11 points in the third quarter, but New York outscored them 35-19 in the fourth.