By how the NBA defines pace, which is a bit of a flawed stat, the Knicks aren’t playing that much faster. They’re still bottom-five in that category. Their secondary assists and passes per game aren’t much improved, if at all.

Knicks captain Jalen Brunson leads the way before New York and San Antonio vie for the Emirates NBA Cup in Las Vegas on Tuesday.

No, the NBA Cup is not the same as the playoffs. But it provides the Knicks with an opportunity to gain more experience in playoff-like atmospheres.

Knicks face the Magic in the NBA Cup semifinals amid key injury reports as Jalen Brunson leads New York into a high-stakes showdown.

Jalen Brunson got hot in Las Vegas at the right time. The Knicks' All-NBA point guard dropped his first 40-point game of the season on the Magic, plus dished out eight assists, to put New York into the championship game of the NBA Cup. Tuesday night in Vegas the Knicks will take on Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs in the title game.

The New York Knicks thumped the Toronto Raptors on Dec. 9 in a 117-101 NBA Cup quarterfinal victory fueled by a massive night from Jalen Brunson.

Jalen Brunson dropped 40 points as the New York Knicks defeated the Orlando Magic 132-120 on Saturday in Las Vegas to clinch a spot in the NBA Cup finals.