NBA Cup roundup: Brunson's heroics help Knicks top rival Nets
The second annual in-season tourney, the NBA Cup, resumed Friday with 12 games in group play. For an explanation of how the tourney works, including the breakdown of the groups, tap here.
To see what happened when the tournament got underway Tuesday, tap here.
Friday's results
- Pacers 111-124 Heat
- Magic 98-86 76ers
- Raptors 95-99 Pistons
- Hawks 129-117 Wizards
- Cavaliers 144-126 Bulls
- Knicks 124-122 Nets
- Spurs 115-120 Lakers
- Rockets 125-104 Clippers
- Pelicans 101-94 Nuggets
- Thunder 99-83 Suns
- Warriors 123-118 Grizzlies
- Kings 126-130 T-Wolves
Check out our NBA scores page for box score recaps for each game and the NBA Cup tab on our NBA standings page for group standings.
Top performers
Anthony Davis (Lakers): Davis put on a show Friday night against San Antonio, outdueling Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama. The Kentucky product dropped a season-high 40 points to go along with 12 rebounds and two blocks. Davis is the first Laker to start a season with 11 consecutive 20-point games since Shaquille O'Neal accomplished the feat in the 1998-99 campaign.
Cam Thomas (Nets): The Nets may have come up short tonight, but that was not for a lack of trying on Thomas' part. The fourth-year guard erupted in the first quarter for 19 points while going 5-for-5 from three and 7-for-7 from the floor. He finished the first half with 27 points and added another 16 in the second to finish the game with 43. He also put up three assists, two rebounds, one steal, and one block while tying his career high with seven 3-pointers. Thomas is the fifth visiting player ever with multiple 40-plus-point games at Madison Square Garden before turning 24 years old. He dropped 41 points, six assists, and splashed four threes in his previous visit to MSG last season.
Bam Adebayo (Heat): Adebayo tallied 30 points, 11 boards, seven assists, and five steals to help the Heat bounce back from a brutal loss in their NBA Cup opener. Adebayo joined LeBron James and Eddie Jones as the only players in franchise history to produce such a stat line, according to StatMuse. The Kentucky product scored 17 points in the fourth quarter to help Miami pull away from the Pacers.
De'Aaron Fox (Kings): Fox went nuclear in the fourth quarter of Sacramento's overtime loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, leading the charge - without DeMar DeRozan and Malik Monk - as the Kings put together a 19-2 run at the beginning of the final frame. The 26-year-old dropped a franchise-record 60 points to help eradicate a 20-point second-half deficit. The last player to score 50 or more in a Kings uniform was DeMarcus Cousins in 2016-17. Fox added seven assists and three steals to his record-breaking performance.
Highlight of the night
The Knicks and Nets were in a dogfight down the stretch. Dennis Schroder seemed to give Brooklyn the edge when he splashed a three from the corner to give his team a one-point lead with 11.5 seconds remaining. That's when Jalen Brunson took matters into his own hands, draining the game-winning 3-pointer over former teammate Dorian Finney-Smith. Schroder attempted to take it the other way for the tie but was blocked at the rim by Mikal Bridges. An electric finish brought to you by former Villanova Wildcats.
🚨 JALEN BRUNSON WINS IT FOR NEW YORK 🚨 pic.twitter.com/09RSbhs3Qj
— NBA TV (@NBATV) November 16, 2024
Tweet of the night
The Pistons have had the worst record in the NBA for two straight seasons, haven't made the postseason since 2019, and haven't finished above .500 since the 2015-16 campaign. In its inaugural year, the NBA Cup provided a stage for a young Pacers squad, giving them the confidence to make an Eastern Conference finals run. Could Detroit replicate that success? It's too early to say, but this competition is giving Detroit fans meaningful basketball for the first time in nearly a decade.
PUT IT IN THE RAFTERS!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/5kHLYF6pGm
— Kofie (@Kofie) November 16, 2024
Stat of the night
Chris Paul continues to drop dimes at age 39. The veteran floor general joined John Stockton and Jason Kidd as the only players in NBA history to tally 12,000 assists. Paul finished Friday's contest against the Los Angeles Lakers with 11 assists, including a lob to Wembanyama to reach the elusive milestone. Paul is now only 83 dimes away from passing Kidd for second on the NBA's all-time list.
What's next
The NBA Cup continues Tuesday with six games, and all eyes should be on Boston as Jayson Tatum and the Celtics welcome Donovan Mitchell and the first-place Cleveland Cavaliers.
Tap the NBA Cup tab on our NBA standings page for the latest group standings.