With only one week of NBA Cup action left, the league had six teams in action Tuesday, all with significant ramifications for group play. Here’s how the night shook out:
Lakers 135, Clippers 118
It took a huge night from Luka Dončić, but the Los Angeles Lakers have clinched a spot in the knockout round of the NBA Cup.
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The Lakers pulled away from the Los Angeles Clippers to grab a 135-118 win to wrap up the three-game NBA Cup slate on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. Dončić finished just shy of a 40-point triple-double in the win.
The Lakers now sit at a perfect 3-0 in group play and have secured a spot in the knockout round. They now officially have a shot to win what would be a second NBA Cup in the first three years of the in-season tournament’s existence.
Though the Clippers looked incredibly solid in the first half, shooting 50% from behind the arc led by 16 points from James Harden, it was Dončić who kept the Lakers in it. He dropped 32 points in the first two quarters, 24 of which came in the opening minutes, to help power the Lakers to a three-point lead at the break. Dončić shot 9-of-14 from the field and drained five 3-pointers in the opening period, too.
The Clippers never went away, but just couldn’t quite keep pace with the Lakers in the second half. They rallied back with a big 13-2 run in the third quarter to jump back out in front after a small Lakers burst, but the Lakers still took a five-point lead into the fourth quarter.
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The Lakers then quickly handled business in the final period. They opened the quarter on a 17-7 tear to jump out to a double digit lead, and then never looked back.
Things escalated briefly in the fourth quarter, however. Kris Dunn boxed Dončić out hard late in the fourth quarter, and Dončić immediately jumped up and confronted him under the rim. Dunn, wasting little time, then grabbed the ball and shoved it into Dončić’s chest hard. While Dončić didn’t retaliate — he stumbled back and smirked — Jaxson Hayes came flying in and shoved Dunn in the back.
That sparked a small altercation that took a bit to calm down. In the end, Hayes was hit with a technical foul for shoving Dunn in the back. Dunn was assessed two technical fouls and was ejected.
Dončić had 43 points with 13 assists and 9 rebounds in the win to lead the Lakers. He shot 7-of-12 from behind the arc, too. Austin Reaves added 31 points and nine rebounds.
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LeBron James, who made just his third start this season after dealing with sciatica, easily had his best game of the year despite being held scoreless in the first quarter. James had 25 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists and shot 9-of-15 from the field. The win, the Lakers’ fifth in a row, pushed them to 13-4 on the year.
James Harden led the Clippers with 29 points and nine assists. Dunn had 19 points when he was ejected. The Clippers have now lost five of their last six, and sit at just 5-13 this fall. They were 2-0 in NBA Cup play entering Tuesday’s game, however, and are still undoubtedly in the hunt for a spot in the knockout round.
The Lakers will wrap up the group stage on Friday against the Dallas Mavericks. A win there will mean that they get to host a quarterfinal game in the knockout stage with a trip to Las Vegas on the line.
Magic 144, Sixers 103
The Philadelphia 76ers have been one of the NBA’s most up-and-down teams so far this season. On Tuesday, they were mostly down.
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Behind 31 points off the bench from Anthony Black, the Magic steamrolled Philly to take control of East Group B at 3-0 with a +61 point differential. The loss officially eliminated the Sixers from NBA Cup contention at 0-3.
The total was a season high in scoring for the Magic. Their 82 points off the bench was the most by any team this year.
The Sixers entered the game significantly short-handed, with Joel Embiid (knee), Paul George (ankle), Kelly Oubre (knee) and VJ Edgecombe (calf) all out for the game, leaving Tyrese Maxey as the team’s only consistent offensive engine. He wasn’t nearly what they need him to be, with 20 points on 7-of-15 shooting in 32 minutes.
Philadelphia kept the game close for a quarter, but the Magic pulled away throughout the second quarter and just kept punching from there. By halftime, they were up 26 points. By the end of the third quarter, they were up 38 points.
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Black led the team in scoring, and eight other players hit double figures in points. Jalen Suggs also had 11 assists, but was ejected in the second quarter after a confrontation got physical.
With the Magic now 3-0, the fate of Group B will hinge on their game against the 2-0 Detroit Pistons on Friday. The Pistons have another Cup game scheduled Wednesday against the Boston Celtics.
Wizards 132, Hawks 113
The Washington Wizards’ losing skid is over.
The Wizards fended off elimination from the NBA Cup on Tuesday night while picking up their second win of the season. Washington cruised to a stunning blowout win over the Atlanta Hawks at Capital One Arena. That marked the franchise’s first win in more than a month, and their first home win since April.
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The Wizards erupted out of the gate and never looked back. They opened the game on an 18-2 run, and then outscored the Hawks 45-23 in the first period to take a huge lead.
The Wizards went a perfect 8 of 8 from behind the arc in the first 12 minutes thanks to four 3-pointers from both CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert. That was the longest streak of made 3-pointers to start a game in Wizards franchise history, and the longest streak anywhere in the league since 2023.
McCollum entered halftime with 27 points after making three more from behind the arc, which helped carry them to a 20-point lead at the break. From there, the rest was easy. The Wizards pushed their lead to 33 points at the end of the third, and then rolled to the 19-point win.
Kristaps Porzingis led the Hawks with 22 points and eight rebounds, and Onyeka Okongwu had 20 points off the bench. The Hawks now sit at 11-8 on the season, and just 1-2 in NBA Cup play — though they still hold quite an advantage over the Wizards in point differential. They had won seven of their past nine entering Tuesday’s loss.
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McCollum finished with 46 points, including 10 triples, in the win. Alex Sarr added 27 points and 11 rebounds, and Kispert had 19 points. He left the game early due to an apparent thumb injury, though specifics aren’t yet known.
The Wizards now hold a 2-15 record, and are also 1-2 in NBA Cup play. While they are one of the worst teams in the league this fall, and they have an uphill battle ahead of them if they’re going to rally to make what would be their first postseason appearance since 2021, they’ve not been eliminated from the NBA Cup just yet.
NBA Cup Night 5 scoreboard
NBA Cup standings
East Group A
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Toronto Raptors (3-0, +53)
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Cleveland Cavaliers (2-1, +34)
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Atlanta Hawks (1-2, -11)
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Washington Wizards (1-2, -44)
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Indiana Pacers (0-2, -31)
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East Group B
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Orlando Magic (3-0, +61)
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Detroit Pistons (2-0, +27)
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Brooklyn Nets (1-2, -17)
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Boston Celtics (1-2, -20)
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Philadelphia 76ers (0-3, -51)
East Group C
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Milwaukee Bucks (2-0, +16)
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Miami Heat (2-1, +46)
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New York Knicks (1-1, -2)
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Chicago Bulls (1-2, -42)
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Charlotte Hornets (0-2, -18)
West Group A
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Oklahoma City Thunder (2-0, +63)
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Phoenix Suns (2-0, +23)
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Minnesota Timberwolves (2-1, +53)
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Sacramento Kings (0-2, -45)
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Utah Jazz (0-3, -94)
West Group B
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Los Angeles Lakers (3-0 +36)
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Los Angeles Clippers (2-1, -9)
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Memphis Grizzlies (1-1, +9)
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Dallas Mavericks (1-2, -13)
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New Orleans Pelicans (0-3, -17)
West Group C
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Denver Nuggets (2-1, +26)
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San Antonio Spurs (1-1, +10)
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Portland Trail Blazers (2-1, -18)
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Golden State Warriors (1-2, -28)
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Houston Rockets (1-2, +10)
