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Thunder

SINGAPORE INDOOR STADIUM, SINGAPORE &ndash; Spain&rsquo;s Unicaja Malaga has etched its name in history once again, as the reigning champions defended their crown on Sunday, defeating NBA G League United 71-61 to claim the 2025 FIBA Intercontinental Cup.&nbsp;
With the victory, Unicaja became just the second club in nearly five decades to win back-to-back titles in the competition.
The night was a tale of two halves. NBA G League United, a select team assembled only three weeks prior to the tournament, delivered a spirited opening, even holding the lead at halftime. But Unicaja&rsquo;s championship pedigree and defensive intensity took over after the break, as the Spanish side seized control with a dominant third quarter and never looked back.
Despite their limited preparation, NBA G League United looked sharp early. Chasson Randle set the tone with aggressive shot-making, while Feron Hunt made his presence felt on the glass. Their quick tempo and commitment to sharing the ball frustrated Unicaja in stretches, and by halftime, United held a 36-33 advantage over the defending champions.
It was a proud moment for head coach Joseph Blair, who praised his group for how they embraced the challenge of representing the G League against top international competition. &ldquo;FIBA ICC is more than just basketball; this is unity,&rdquo; Blair said after the game. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m proud, especially after being assembled three weeks just before the tournament.&rdquo;
That pride carried over into the locker room, where the players spoke of how quickly they bonded. Randle, one of United&rsquo;s veterans, highlighted the camaraderie that formed in a short time. &ldquo;It was a fun group; everybody understood the mission,&rdquo; Randle said. &ldquo;We had great moments, we had so much talent playing together. It felt like family, we became brothers, and I look forward to continuing the relationship with these guys.&rdquo;
United&rsquo;s fight was evident, but the challenge of sustaining that level against an experienced European power loomed large.
Coming out of halftime, Unicaja&rsquo;s approach shifted dramatically. Head coach Ibon Navarro&rsquo;s squad turned up the pressure, forcing turnovers and dictating the tempo. The result was a 23-5 third-quarter run that completely flipped the game. By the end of the frame, Unicaja had built a commanding 56-41 lead, silencing United&rsquo;s early momentum.
Navarro admitted his team was shaky to start, but credited his veterans for settling in and sticking to the plan when it mattered most. &ldquo;We started the game not following the game plan, not controlling the first six seconds of G League&rsquo;s play,&rdquo; Navarro explained. &ldquo;We were going too early when we needed to slow it down. But the veterans knew what to do.&rdquo;
That third-quarter stretch was punctuated by timely three-pointers, aggressive drives from Kendrick Perry, and suffocating defense in the paint. United, who had looked confident in the first half, suddenly struggled to find clean looks, committing turnovers under pressure and falling behind by double digits.
Though they tried to mount a comeback in the fourth quarter, the damage was already done. Every time United threatened to chip away, Unicaja&rsquo;s poise and execution restored control.
At the heart of Unicaja&rsquo;s run was guard Tyler Kalinoski, whose steady contributions throughout the tournament earned him Most Valuable Player honors. A veteran sharpshooter, Kalinoski provided more than just scoring; his floor spacing, defensive reads, and leadership embodied the consistency that defined Unicaja&rsquo;s run.
After years of coming close in similar situations, Kalinoski admitted the recognition meant a great deal, but was quick to keep the focus on the collective achievement. &ldquo;I am a team player &ndash; winning the championship is my first priority,&rdquo; Kalinoski said. &ldquo;But I can&rsquo;t lie, it feels really good. I&rsquo;ve been in this situation many times before where I almost won, and now I finally won it. But the big trophy means more to me.&rdquo;
While Kalinoski claimed MVP, it was Kendrick Perry who earned Player of the Game honors in the Final, finishing with 11 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. Perry&rsquo;s ability to steady the offense during Unicaja&rsquo;s decisive run was vital.
On the other side, Jaden Shackelford led NBA G League United with 17 points, while Feron Hunt added 14 points and 11 rebounds in a strong individual showing.
With the win, Unicaja became the first club in 47 years to successfully defend the FIBA Intercontinental Cup, cementing their status as one of Europe&rsquo;s premier teams. The victory also marked the 24th time a European side has won the tournament, with Spanish clubs accounting for half of those triumphs.
For NBA G League United, the loss marks their second straight runner-up finish in the competition. But the positives are hard to ignore: despite being a newly formed group, they proved capable of pushing a seasoned opponent on the world stage.
Coach Blair stressed that while the result stung, the bigger takeaway was the unity and growth forged in Singapore. His words, paired with Randle&rsquo;s reflections, underscored what the FIBA Intercontinental Cup has become for the G League &mdash; not just a competition, but an opportunity to showcase talent, culture, and resilience.
For Unicaja, this repeat championship reinforces their place as a model of consistency and execution in international basketball. Their ability to withstand adversity early and then dominate defensively is a hallmark of championship teams.
For NBA G League United, it was another step in building legitimacy on the global stage. Facing elite opposition in a hostile environment, they showed grit, flashes of brilliance, and togetherness that belied their short preparation window.
In the end, the Final boiled down to experience over ambition. United struck first, but Unicaja struck last &mdash; and hardest &mdash; with a third-quarter surge that defined the game and delivered yet another piece of silverware to Malaga.

Spain’s Unicaja Malaga defended their crown on Sunday, defeating NBA G League United to claim the 2025 FIBA Intercontinental Cup.

FIBA Intercontinental Cup 2025: Spain’s Unicaja repeat over NBA G League United

Brandon Boston Jr. had 22 points and eight rebounds and the Los Angeles Clippers used a 32-9 fourth quarter to beat the Utah Jazz 82-65 on Friday in the NBA Summer League.
Los Angeles scored just 11 points in the third quarter before opening the fourth on a 24-4 run for a 74-60 lead.
Jay Scrubb added 14 points and Cameron Reynolds had 12 for Los Angeles (2-2).
Leandro Bolmaro led Utah (2-2) with 19 points. Johnny Juzang scored eight of Utah&rsquo;s opening 12 points, and finished with 14. Tacko Fall, a 7-foo-6 center, had eight points, nine rebounds and four blocks.
76ERS 97, NUGGETS 71
Grant Riller scored 18 points and Trevelin Queen added 17 as Philadelphia routed Denver.
Riller scored 13 points, in just six first-half minutes, to help Philadelphia build a 48-27 lead. Denver shot just 25.6% from the field in the first half, including 4 of 17 from 3-point range. The 76ers led 69-39 late in the third quarter.
Isaiah Joe had 14 points and four 3-pointers for Philadelphia (2-2). Justin Smith and Aminu Mohammed each scored 10 points.
Mbaye N&rsquo;Diaye scored 12 points and Christian Braun had 11 points, six rebounds, six assists and four steals for Denver (2-2).
THUNDER 90, WARRIORS 82
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl had 15 points and 14 rebounds, Jalen Williams had 10 points with six assists and Oklahoma City beat Golden State.
Gabe Brown and Jaden Shackelford each scored 12 points for Oklahoma City (3-1). Eugene Omoruyi scored 11 points and Vit Krejci had 10 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Chet Holmgren did not play.
Jonathan Kuminga scored 16 points and James Wiseman added 14 for Golden State (1-3). Quinndary Weatherspoon added 11 points and Gui Santos had 10.
KINGS 82, SUNS 69
Keegan Murray continued his strong Summer League showing with 21 points and 10 rebounds, Neemias Queta added 15 points on 6-of-6 shooting and also grabbed 10 rebounds to help Sacramento beat Phoenix.
Murray, picked No. 4 overall in June's draft, is averaging 23.3 points and 7.3 rebounds after four games in Las Vegas. DJ Steward added 14 points for the Kings.
Ish Wainright led Phoenix with 13 points and McKinley Wright IV added 11 points, eight rebounds and two steals.
WIZARDS 97, PACERS 79
Jordan Schakel scored 21 points with seven rebounds and five assists, Jordan Goodwin added 19 points and three steals and Washington beat Indiana.
Isaiah Todd hit three 3-pointers and finished with 17 points and eight rebounds for Washington. Tahjere McCall scored 13 points, Jaime Echenique added 10 points, eight rebounds and three blocks for the Wizards.
Kendall Brown led Indiana with 14 points and Aaron Nesmith added 12.
Johnny Davis (back tightness), picked No. 10 overall by the Wizards in last month's draft, and Bennedict Mathurin (toe), who Indiana selected No. 6 overall, did not play.
RAPTORS 88, HEAT 78
Dalano Banton scored 18 points, Armoni Brooks 17 and Jeff Dowtin added 16 points, eight rebounds and five assists to help Toronto beat Miami.
Ron Harper Jr. scored 14 points and Rodions Kurucs 13 for the Raptors.
Kyle Allman Jr. led the Heat with 17 points, Orlando Robinson added 13 points and 11 rebounds and Javonte Smart also scored 13 points. Haywood Highsmith scored 10 points.
LAKERS 102, PELICANS 94
Cole Swider hit five 3-pointers and finished with 21 points, Javante McCoy added 14 points and seven assists to help Los Angeles beat New Orleans and eliminate the Pelicans from Summer League championship contention.
Max Christie scored 12 points, Mason Jones added 11 and Jay Huff had 10 points and four blocks for the Lakers. Scotty Pippen Jr. finished with 11 points and seven assists.
Jared Harper led the Pelicans with 20 points. Deividas Sirvydis made 4 of 7 from 3-point range and finished with 17 points and eight rebounds, John Petty Jr. scored 16 points and Tyrique Jones had 11 points, 13 rebounds and four assists.
Dyson Daniels, a 6-foot-6 19-year-old who New Orleans selected No. 8 overall in last month's draft, didn't play for the Pelicans.

Brandon Boston Jr. had 22 points and eight rebounds and the Clippers used a 32-9 fourth quarter to beat the Jazz 82-65.

Clippers use 32-9 4th quarter to beat Jazz at Summer League

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Auburn, AL&nbsp; &mdash; In a competitive, in-state rivalry game, the Auburn Tigers (21-1, 9-0 SEC) took care of business and defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide by a score of 100-81. Eastern Kentucky transfer Wendell Green Jr. led Auburn in scoring with 23 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists off the bench. Jaden Shackelford led all players with 26 points.&nbsp;
Auburn freshman Jabari Smith was recently named to the John R. Wooden Award watch list in averaging 15.6 points and 6.8 rebounds. Walker Kessler, K.D. Johnson and Green round out the Tigers&rsquo; balanced attack.&nbsp;
Coming off a huge win at home against No. 4 Baylor, the Crimson Tide (14-8, 4-5 SEC) looked to secure another top-five victory on the road. Their backcourt trio of Shackelford, Jahvon Quinerly and J.D. Davison leads the way on both ends of the floor.&nbsp;
The first half was tight for the first 10 minutes, but by the 3-minute mark, the Tigers had stretched the lead to 47-28. They would lead 51-37 at the break, but Shackelford led all players with 16 points after connecting on 3 of 5 shots from deep. Noah Gurley provided 7 early points off the bench.
Smith led Auburn with 11 points and Green had a very productive start with 10 points, 6 assists and 3 rebounds in the first half.
Quinerly started the second half on a tear and brought the Tide back to within two points at 57-55, but Johnson and Green had had enough of that. They would stretch the lead to 81-61 at the 7:07 mark, and never looked back from there. For a brief moment, there appeared to be life for Alabama, but Johnson connected on a triple to end that.
Auburn would put up triple-digit points for the second time this year, the last being in its only defeat in a double-overtime loss to Connecticut.&nbsp;
Quinerly posted 20 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists. Keon Ellis provided 9 points, 8 points, 2 assists, 2 blocks and a steal. Smith ended with 17 points and Kessler posted 14 points, 12 rebounds, 8 blocks, 4 steals and an assist.&nbsp;
UPCOMING
Alabama hosts No. 5 Kentucky on Saturday.
Auburn visits Georgia on Saturday afternoon.
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In a competitive, in-state rivalry, the Tigers took care of business and defeated the Tide by a score of 100-81.

Wendell Green Jr. scores 23 as No. 1 Auburn defeats Alabama 100-81

Tuscaloosa, AL&nbsp; -&nbsp; The Crimson Tide take down No. 4 Baylor today at home by a score of 87-78. They played great team defense and were led in scoring by Jahvon Quinerly with 20 points. Jeremy Sochan led Baylor with 17 points.&nbsp;
Led by the No. 7 defense in the country in Adjusted Efficiency, Baylor (18-3, 6-2 Big 12) is again one of the top teams in the nation. Their three guards, LJ Cryer (out with foot injury), James Akinjo and Adam Flagler drive the offense and combine for 39.6 points and 10.9 assists per game. Freshman Kendall Brown is also having a strong season and is currently projected as a lottery pick in June&rsquo;s NBA draft.
The Crimson Tide (14-7, 4-4 SEC) has been up and down. After five &ldquo;Quad 1&rdquo; wins they hit a rough patch in conference play, losing 4 of their last 6 contests. Junior guard Jaden Shackelford leads the team in scoring with 17.1 points per game. Freshman JD Davison is as electric as any at the guard position and also projects as a lottery pick.
In an incredible environment in Tuscaloosa in which the fans put on a &ldquo;White Out,&rdquo; Shackelford and Davison got started early as the Tide jumped out to an 11-3 lead. Baylor responded with some big shots of their own, taking a 19-17 lead halfway through the period. Quinerly would get hot soon after which allowed the Tide to take back the lead at 29-22.
Alabama took a 38-34 lead to the break and had 20 points in the paint in the first half alone. They did so by attacking the lane with purpose and converting at the free-throw line. Quinerly led all players with 12 points. Jeremy Sochan scored 8, while Flagler and Davison each had 7 points.&nbsp;
Alabama remained in control the first few minutes of the second half as the score moved to 43-38. Quinerly and Akinjo were tagged for offsetting technical fouls at the 16:42 mark, and Baylor immediately responded with a cut and alley-oop from Matthew Mayer. By the 13:13 mark, Alabama had gotten back on track and taken a 57-42 lead, thanks to some stifling defense and big shot-making from Keon Ellis.
Things got interesting when Dale Bonner and Flagler connected on triples to cut the lead to 65-60. Shackelford hit a three-pointer with just under five minutes to go, off a beautiful inbound set as the shot clock expired, making the lead 75-66 Tide. With just under three minutes to go, JD Davison made a huge steal and dunk in transition to give Alabama a 10-point lead.&nbsp;
The Tide would hold on for the 87-78 win.&nbsp;
Shackelford ended with 19 points, and Davison posted 14 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals in another big-time performance. Flagler added 16 points for Baylor, while Matthew Mayer scored 12 on 4 of 8 from the field.
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UPCOMING
Baylor hosts West Virginia on Monday night.
Alabama visits No. 1 Auburn on Tuesday.
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The Crimson Tide take down No. 4 Baylor today at home by a score of 87-78.

Alabama knocks off No. 4 Baylor, 87-78

SEATTLE (AP) &mdash; Jaden Shackelford scored 20 of his 28 points in the first half, Jahvon Quinerly and JD Davison both hit key 3-pointers, and No. 16 Alabama held off Gonzaga&rsquo;s big second-half rally for a 91-82 win over the third-ranked Bulldogs on Saturday night.
The Crimson Tide (7-1) made 10 of their 13 3-pointers in the first half, led by Shackelford&rsquo;s sharp shooting from deep. Alabama led by 16 at halftime and withstood every charge the Bulldogs made in the second half to hand Gonzaga its second loss in three games.
Gonzaga trailed by as many as 18 at the beginning of the second half, but pulled within 76-72. The Bulldogs missed several chance to cut the deficit, and Davison and Quinerly hit consecutive 3-pointers to give the Crimson Tide a big cushion.
Shackelford made 10 of 16 shots and all six of his 3-pointers came in the first half. Davison finished with 20 points off the bench and Quinerly added 17.
Drew Timme led Gonzaga (7-2) with 23 points, but it was another sputtering offensive performance for the Zags, who lost to Duke last week in Las Vegas and looked lethargic in a win over Tarleton State earlier this week.
Julian Strawther had 13 points, and Anton Watson and Chet Holmgren 10 each for Gonzaga, but the Bulldogs didn&rsquo;t hit perimeter shots at key times and struggled badly at the free-throw line.
Alabama led 53-35 in the opening seconds of the second half, Gonzaga pulled within 74-70 and 76-72 on Watson&rsquo;s rebound basket with 5:27 left, the closest the Bulldogs had been since late in the first half.
Gonzaga was empty on its next three possessions and Davison&rsquo;s 3-pointer pushed the Alabama lead back to seven with 3:33 left. Quinerly added a 3 the next time down for Alabama and the lead was 10.
The Crimson Tide had missed five straight 3-point attempts before Davison&rsquo;s make.
WELCOME BACK
It was the return of Gonzaga playing one game per season in Seattle. The event had lost its luster and some of its marquee opponents from when the game first started in the early 2000s. The last game was in 2015, a 86-79 win over Tennessee.
There was also the lack of a place to play in recent years while Climate Pledge Arena was undergoing its transformation. But the operators of the arena made a big push for Gonzaga to be the first marquee basketball game played in the building &mdash; aside from some Seattle University home games.
BIG PICTURE
Alabama: Shackelford was nearly perfect in the first half, making 7 of 8 shots and six 3-pointers. His step-back 3 at the halftime buzzer gave Alabama a 51-35 lead at the break. Shackelford had not made more than five 3s in a game yet this season. More than half of Alabama&rsquo;s first-half field goals came from behind the 3-point line with 10 3s and just eight field goals inside the arc.
Gonzaga: The Zags were terrible at the free-throw line, finishing 13 of 25 and missing the front end of one-and-one situations several times. Entering the game, the Bulldogs were 71.2% from the line.
UP NEXT
Alabama: Hosts No. 15 Houston on Saturday.
Gonzaga: Hosts Merrimack on Thursday.

No. 16 Alabama held off Gonzaga’s big second-half rally for a 91-82 win over the third-ranked Bulldogs on Saturday night.

Jaden

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Wendell Green Jr. scores 23 as No. 1 Auburn defeats Alabama 100-81

Alabama knocks off No. 4 Baylor, 87-78

No. 16 Alabama takes down No. 3 Gonzaga 91-82