Credit: FOX News
Darren & Vic’s Takes: NBA Week 10 Preview
Published: Wednesday, December 31, 2025
by Darren Worrell and Victor Lisboa
Week 9 has come and gone, and fans saw a lot of great basketball last week. As the NBA officially enters week 10 and 2025 comes to a close, Darren and Vic are back to preview the marquee matchups of the week.
Darren: New York Knicks vs San Antonio Spurs
The New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs are set to face off on New Year’s Eve at 7:00 P.M. Eastern time in San Antonio, Texas.
The game marks the rematch of the NBA Cup Final, where the Knicks defeated the Spurs 124-113 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. In this game the San Antonio Spurs had full control for most of the contest, but a late surge by the Knicks in the fourth quarter secured them the 2025 NBA Cup
The Knicks outscored the Spurs 35-19 in that quarter, and as a result of his outstanding performance, Jalen Brunson was awarded the MVP honors.
Looking at the Knicks, they enter this matchup as the second-best team in the Eastern Conference, just one game behind the Pistons for first place. The Knicks have performed very well over their last ten games, going 8-2 during that span.
Their most recent victory was a 130-125 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. Jalen Brunson had an impressive game with 28 points and 10 assists, while both OG Anunoby and Karl Anthony-Towns also stepped up, each finishing with a double double.
The Knicks have looked like one of the most complete teams this season, especially after hiring new coach Mike Brown, who has done a remarkable job thus far. Jalen Brunson leads the way, averaging 29.4 points per game, and you can count on that level of performance from him every night.
However, he never has to do it alone because of the amazing depth on this year’s squad. The team’s chemistry is unmatched, and everyone is willing to do the dirty work. Everyone on the team can score, but they contribute in other ways such as rebounding and playing defense.
The Spurs enter this matchup as the second-best team in the Western Conference, currently 4.5 games behind the Oklahoma City Thunder. They have also performed well over their last ten games, going 8-2.
In their most recent game, they fell short to the Cleveland Cavaliers 113-101 despite the strong performance from Victor Wembanyama.
The Spurs have been one of the most surprising young teams this season. Few expected them to play at this level, but they have already beaten the top seeded Thunder three times, an achievement no team has matched.
They are led by Victor Wembanyama with 24.4 points per game, but while he was out with an injury earlier this season, the others have held it down. Scoring comes from the entire roster and on any given night anything is possible. The Spurs play fearlessly. Expect a great game between two of the league's best teams.
Victor: Minnesota Timberwolves vs Miami Heat
First off, I’d like to wish everyone Happy Holidays! The NBA brought some very exciting action on Christmas day, and we witnessed some of the games of the season.
The Timberwolves currently sit at the sixth seed but are only 1.5 games behind for the third seed and 2.5 games behind for the second seed. With recent news of Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic missing at least the next four weeks of action due to a hyperextended knee, this could be a pivotal time to take advantage.
The Timberwolves are 6-4 in their last ten games, with Minnesota star Anthony Edwards missing three games due to soreness in his left foot. Their biggest win of the season came two weeks ago, when the Timberwolves defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 112-107 on December 19.
Minnesota is ninth in offensive rating and fifth in defensive rating. Perhaps their two biggest liabilities holding them back appear to be the lack of a true point guard to play starter minutes, and perhaps not the bench depth you would want a contender to have. However, these are situations that could somewhat be resolved by the trade deadline in February.
The Miami Heat are just about tied for the seventh seed with Orlando and Philadelphia as all three teams remain exactly seven games behind for the first seed. The Heat did not seem to come into this season with high expectations. However, a team that has won three straight, Coach Erik Spoelstra continues to keep this team remaining competitive.
Miami averages 115.1 points per game, which is right in the middle of the pack, but they are fourth in defensive rating, allowing 112.3 points per game. Norman Powell is the team’s leading scorer, averaging 23.8 points a contest, good for 20th in the league.
He was acquired in an offseason three team trade with the Los Angeles Clippers and Utah Jazz. Tyler Herro is trailing him tightly, averaging 23.2 points per game.
One of the biggest surprises is how quickly Miami’s second year big-man out of Indiana, Kel'el Ware, has improved. Ware was the 15th pick for Miami in 2024.
Many questioned the pick not for Ware’s talent, but because Miami already has another deemed star center, Bam Adebayo. However, Ware has tended to mesh well, even with Adebayo on the floor, perhaps a testament to Spoelstra’s ability to maximize his player’s talents.
Ware is averaging 12.6 points per game and is seventh in league in rebounds grabbing 10.6 per game. Perhaps what jumps out of the page most is his ability to shoot the three for a seven-footer.
He’s shooting 47.3% from distance on 2.8 attempts a game, good for fourth in the league. These two teams will first meet this Saturday, January 3 at 5:00 P.M. and then again on Tuesday, January 6 at 8:00 P.M.
Darren Worrell and Victor Lisboa can be reached at darren.worrell@student.shu.edu, victor.lisboa@student.shu.eduPosted in: sports,