First, the Warriors will host the Minnesota Timberwolves at 7 p.m. PT on Friday, Dec. 12 at Chase Center. Two nights later, they’ll head to Portland to take on the Trail Blazers at 6 p.m. PT on Dec. 14 at Moda Center.
Golden State fell 104-100 against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday at Chase Center in the NBA Cup finale. With the Memphis Grizzlies’ win over the New Orleans Pelicans earlier that day, both the Warriors and Rockets were eliminated from the cup before their game ended.
The Warriors are 10-10 on the season and have lost four of their last five contests.
They’ll look to get back in the win column when they host the Pelicans (3-16) on Saturday at Chase Center.
Lakers guard Austin Reaves scores two of his 38 points on a fast break while being chased by Mavericks forward Naji Marshall at Crypto.con Arena on Friday. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
On Friday night, however, Doncic shared the spotlight with Austin Reaves, who continues to be a shining star for the Lakers.
They combined for 73 points during the Lakers’ 129-119 win over the Mavericks, and it was Reaves holding down the leading scorer spot over backcourt running mate Doncic.
Reaves was efficient with his work in scoring 38 points, going 12 for 15 from the field and six for eight from three-point range to go with eight rebounds.
Lakers guard Luka Doncic is called of for a blocking foul on Mavericks forward Naji Marshall at Crypto.com Arena on Friday. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
The fans even chanted “M-V-P!" when Reaves shot two free throws midway through the fourth quarter, a sign of how dominant he was.
“I finally made the threes, so that was nice,” Reaves said. “Like you said, Luka draws so much attention. [LeBron James[ obviously [is] Bron and they are gonna get the majority of attention. I kind of run around out there and find open spots and make shots, hopefully big shots, and [I] sort of done [that] the last of the night.”
Doncic also was efficient in dropping 35 points on his old Mavericks teammates, going 10 for 17 from the field, four for nine from three-point range, and making all 11 of his free throws.
Doncic also had 11 assists and five rebounds to help the Lakers push their winning streak to six.
The emotions of playing the Mavericks aren’t as raw as they were the first time Doncic played in Dallas, but he admitted that he still has fond feelings for the franchise.
"I would say it's a little bit easier now,” Doncic said. “But like I said, games against Dallas always have some special meaning to me. I still have a lot of friends there. It's always special. It'll always be special for me."
The Lakers improved to 4-0 in NBA Cup Group B play and clinched home-court advantage in the quarterfinals. They will host the San Antonio Spurs on Dec 10.
Before the Lakers play in that NBA Cup game, they have back-to-back games here, Sunday against the Pelicans and Monday against the Suns, and then travel to Toronto, Boston and Philadelphia before returning home for the single-elimination game against the Spurs.
“Yeah, just, I mean, you want to win the games regardless, whether they're for the Cup or not,” Reaves said. “Just to have the best record that you can.”
Davis, who returned after missing 14 games because of a left calf strain, scored 12 points, grabbed five rebounds and handed out five assists in his first game in Los Angeles since the trade.
Deandre Ayton, who missed the Lakers' game against the Clippers on Tuesday because of a right knee contusion, had 17 points and eight rebounds.
Dallas rookie Cooper Flagg, the No. 1 pick in the draft, had 13 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds.
Court change
The Lakers didn’t use their special NBA Cup court during their group stage game against the Mavericks after the team flagged concerns that it was too slippery.
After the Lakers debuted the special yellow court Tuesday in a win over the Clippers, Doncic said during his postgame news conference that the floor was dangerously slippery. The team reported the problem to the league, and technicians from the court vendor determined the surface was unplayable for the group stage finale, according to a team spokesperson.
The court could be repaired and available in time for the NBA Cup quarterfinals.
The colorful NBA Cup courts were designed to help set the in-season tournament apart from other regular-season games. The Lakers played their first two NBA Cup games on the road — in Memphis and New Orleans — and Doncic did not remember having a problem with courts in those games, but it became immediately clear during pregame warmups Tuesday that the Lakers’ bright yellow NBA Cup court presented issues.
"Yeah, and I really appreciate the Lakers and the league,” Doncic said. “They did us a favor. I was talking about it, so I really appreciate both of them, just changing the court and (so we can) stay healthy."
For Ayton, who missed the previous game against the Clippers because of a bruised right knee, his return was more than about his 17 points and eight rebounds.
He was mostly impressed by the way Reaves performed.
“He was making some tough buckets, man, like some mean, aggressive buckets under the rim where us trees (big men) were down there and he was making some tough baskets,” Ayton said. “I’m just like, ‘You a dawg.’ I’m running back telling him, ‘You a dawg. Like, you are making some tough baskets.’ You just got to take your hat off to him. I”ve been seeing it since I got here.”
Maybe wins against the Hornets and Nets earlier this week didn’t do it for you. But Josh Hart’s play in the Knicks’ win over Milwaukee on Friday has to move the needle toward keeping him in the starting lineup.
Hart was everywhere on Friday -- Guarding Giannis Antetokounmpo. Pushing the ball in transition. Play-making as a release to the double-teams on Jalen Brunson. Rebounding the ball.
It was a prototypical Hart game.
If his play in the starting lineup continues, Mike Brown may have to think long and hard about making a permanent change.
Brown in the last three games has gone with Karl-Anthony Towns at center, Mitchell Robinson off the bench and Hart in the lineup.
Hart is averaging seven assists and 12 rebounds per game in that span.
Again, you can brush off those numbers when they come against the Hornets and Nets, but in a highly competitive game against Antetokounmpo and the Bucks, Hart’s performance was crucial.
“He played well on both sides of the ball. He’s in a good rhythm right now,” Brunson said after the game. “Just need him to stick with that. He’s a key part, an X-factor in what we do.”
Speaking of lineups, Brown sounds like a coach who wants to see more of Robinson off the bench.
Earlier in the season, Brown seemed to favor starting Robinson alongside Towns, but the big man has come off the bench in each of his last two games.
“I’ve liked what I’ve seen so far,” Brown said after Robinson’s six points, seven rebounds and two steals off the bench Friday.
“Mitch has given us a great punch off the bench. His ability to offensive rebound against starters and backups has been huge for us. So he has to keep bringing that to the table. So he gives us a different look in the starting lineup and then gives us a different look when he comes off the bench.”
The guess here is that Robinson will continue to come off the bench if everyone is healthy.
When everyone does return, though, the big question for Brown will be whether to keep Hart in the starting lineup over options such as Landry Shamet and Miles McBride.
New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) reacts after making a basket during the second half against the Milwaukee Bucks at Madison Square Garden / Vincent Carchietta - Imagn Images
MVP TALK FOR BRUNSON
Brunson had 37 points on 21 shots on Friday night. He was on fire in the third quarter (16 points, 7-8 FG's) then made all the right reads in the fourth quarter when Milwaukee sent a second defender at him.
He has scored 27 or more points in each of the past seven games.
“He should be talked about right now -- it’s early -- but as a potential MVP,” Brown said after the game. “There’s not enough chatter which -- it’s early -- so I’m not throwing a fit -- but the guy had 37 tonight on 12-of-21. And he gets blitzed often and he makes the right basketball play. He basically did what he was supposed to do and that’s why I don’t talk about it a lot because that’s what he’s capable of doing and that’s what he’s supposed to do being of that stature.
“But hopefully you guys and your peers will start really talking the right way about this young man in terms of him having some MVP talk because that’s what he is,” Brown said, referring to the media. “We’re not playing the best basketball right now but we’re trending in the right direction and he’s the engine behind it So to me, he just did what he’s supposed to do, which equates to him being the MVP of the league.”
Brown also praised another Knick point guard on Friday -- he likes what he’s seen from Tyler Kolek lately.
Kolek had five points (all off of Hart assists), two steals and an assist in 10 minutes against Milwaukee.
This continues a strong week overall for the youngster who chipped in five assists and three rebounds against Brooklyn, then seven points and three assists against Charlotte.
“I didn’t play him as much as I wanted to tonight but the last two games when he’s gotten minutes, he’s been really good defensively,” Brown said. “He’s been really physical without fouling. He’s been really good pushing the basketball and distributing the basketball while getting us into our offense. I expect nothing but that from him and again I wished I’d played him a little longer because again, (he’s) on a pretty good run.”
Ball scored 13 points in the first half and made 6 of 14 shots. Malachi Smith added 14 points and nine assists and Alex Karaban had 12 points and nine rebounds. Freshman Braylon Mullins played 10 minutes and scored two points in his debut.
Saunders made 9 of 15 shots from the floor, including 6 of 10 from 3-point range, and all five of his free throws for the Cougars (6-1). He also had eight rebounds and three steals. Wright hit 9 of 16 shots with two 3-pointers and added six assists and two steals.
Jalen Brunson is once again doing Jalen Brunson things.
The All-Star point guard has led the way for the Knicks’ offense all season, and that was the case again during Friday night’s NBA Cup victory over the Bucks.
Milwaukee led by one by after a back-and-forth first two quarters.
The captain took things over from there, though, scoring 16 of New York’s 31 points in the third quarter on an efficient 6-of-7 shooting from the field to push them in front.
Brunson added just six more points in a relatively quiet final frame, but his biggest bucket was an and-one layup to put the Knicks up six with just a minute and a half left.
He out-dueled Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, finishing the night with a game-high 37 points on 12-of-21 from the field and 4-of-6 from three while dishing five assists.
“He’s a special guy,” Miles McBride said of Brunson.
“We love games where he’s able to get it going,” Josh Hart added.
There’s been plenty of games like that of late -- Brunson is averaging 31.6 points and 6.1 assists on 52 percent from the field and 44 percent from downtown over his past seven.
That’s brought his average up to 29.1 points, 6.2 assists, and 3.2 rebounds on the season.
While it’s still early, head coach Mike Brown feels he should be getting more love in MVP talks.
“There’s not enough chatter,” he said. “It’s early, so I’m not throwing a fit, but the guy had 37 tonight on 12-of-21 (shooting), and he gets blitzed often and he makes the right play -- he did what he’s supposed to do, and that’s why we don’t talk about it because that’s what he’s capable of.
“But hopefully you guys will start talking the right way about this young man in terms of him having some MVP talk because that’s what he is. We’re not playing the best basketball right now, but we’re trending in the right direction and he’s the engine behind it, so to me he did what he's supposed to do which equates to him being the MVP.”
The Knicks are officially moving on in the NBA Cup.
With Friday night’s win over the Milwaukee Bucks, the defending cup champions, New York locked up East Group C and booked its ticket to the quarterfinals.
It is now the only team to advance in all three years of the NBA Cup's existence.
New York went 3-1 in Group Play this time around with its only loss against the Chicago Bulls.
The Knicks now go on the road to face the Raptors in their quarterfinal matchup on Dec. 9 at 8:30 p.m.
Toronto is 14-5 on the season, and went a perfect 4-0 in group play to lock up East Group A.
The other quarterfinal matchup in the East will be the Magic (Group B) against the Heat (wild card).
NEW YORK (AP) — Tyrese Maxey scored 22 points, Jared McCain had 20 off the bench and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Brooklyn Nets 115-103 on Friday night in an NBA Cup game.
Quentin Grimes added 19 points, and Paul George had 14 to help the short-handed 76ers snap a two-game losing streak.
The 76ers played without starting center Joel Embiid (right knee management) and VJ Edgecombe (left calf tightness), and then lost backup center Andre Drummond (sprained right knee) midway through the second quarter.
Drummond attempted to block Tyrese Martin’s floater and then tried to grab the rebound with his left hand, but fell on the court and immediately reached for his knee.
Egor Demin scored a career-high 23 points, and Martin had 16 for Brooklyn. The Nets have lost three consecutive games and fell to 0-9 at home this season. They are the only team without a home win this season, with their last one at Barclays Center on April 8 against New Orleans.
The 76ers led by 1 points in the first half and saw their lead cut to nine after Brooklyn went on an 11-2 run, capped by Denim’s 3-pointer that made it 74-65 with 4:07 left in the third quarter.
Denim cut it to nine again with a 3-pointer with 4:35 to play. Demin’s layup made it 112-103 with 1:13 left in regulation before Grimes found an open Adem Bona, whose 3-pointer extended the lead for good.
The Knicks won Friday's NBA Cup game against the Bucks, 118-109, for their third straight victory while they extended Giannis Antetokounmpo-led Milwaukee's seven-game skid.
Takeaways
For the third straight game, the Knicks started Jalen Brunson, Miles McBride, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart and Karl-Anthony Towns. Mike Brown's move paid off particularly with Hart, who gave the Knicks (12-6) a first-half boost by scoring 13 points on 4-of-9 shooting while adding six rebounds and two assists. Hart finished with a 19-point, 15-rebound double-double, plus seven assists, and continues to trend up after totaling 22 points on 8-of-13 shooting, eight rebounds and seven assists in Wednesday's 129-101 win at the Charlotte Hornets.
Another notable contributor in the lineup was McBride, who gave the Knicks a pop with 19 points on 5-of-7 shooting from deep to complement Brunson's backcourt scoring. Among McBride's big shots was his triple with 2:53 left, an immediate and needed response after Kyle Kuzma's trey moments earlier cut the Knicks' lead to 107-105 at the 3:16 mark.
Speaking of Brunson, the Knicks' catalyst offered a balanced game by dropping 15 first-half points while the Bucks (8-12) clung to a 62-61 halftime edge. Brunson especially came alive in the third quarter, scoring 16 of his game-high 37 points (12-for-21 shooting) during a 31-26 period where the Knicks outscored the Bucks. Before the Bucks closed the gap with the Knicks in the fourth quarter's tightly contested final six minutes, New York's largest lead of 101-88 at the 10:40 mark, fueled by Brunson's third-quarter heat check.
The Knicks advance to the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup after winning East Group C. In beating the Bucks, who won last year's NBA Cup, there will be a new winner this season. Also of note, Milwaukee's seventh straight loss is its longest skid since the 2013-14 campaign when it suffered multiple lengthy skids and went 15-67.
Who's the MVP?
Antetokounmpo, who was questionable with an abductor strain but willed the Bucks with 30 points on 10-of-14 shooting while adding 15 rebounds and eight assists in 28 minutes of what was his first game since Nov. 17.
Xaivian Lee scored 17 of his game-high 20 points in the second half, Thomas Haugh and Reuben Chinyelu each had double-doubles, and No. 10 Florida beat Providence 90-78 on Friday in the third-place game at the Rady Children's Invitational. Haugh had 16 points and 12 rebounds, and Chinyelu had 13 points and 10 rebounds for his fourth double-double in five games. Florida's frontcourt has 11 double-doubles this season.
NEW YORK — The Sixers reached double-victories on Black Friday in Brooklyn.
With a 115-103 win over the Nets, they improved to 10-8 on the season. Brooklyn fell to 3-15.
Friday’s game was the Sixers’ final NBA Cup contest of 2025. They went 1-3 in East Group B and did not advance to knockout play.
Tyrese Maxey had 22 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Quentin Grimes scored 19 points and dished out nine assists. Jared McCain added 20 points and five steals.
Nets rookie Egor Demin posted 23 points, nine rebounds and five assists.
The Sixers began the night down Joel Embiid (right knee injury management), Kelly Oubre Jr. (left knee LCL sprain), VJ Edgecombe (left calf tightness) and Trendon Watford (left adductor strain).
“They’ve been thinking he’s been trending toward getting there and he just isn’t yet,” Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said of Embiid, who’s missed nine straight games. “They just haven’t cleared him to go. That’s all it is.”
Edgecombe ran through a pregame workout with Sixers assistant coaches.
“He is on court and getting some workouts individually,” Nurse said. “He hasn’t done any team stuff yet. I’ll get a report here in a little bit, but I think he’s doing OK with his on-court workouts and hopefully trending upward quickly.”
Andre Drummond also exited Tuesday’s game with a right knee injury. More on that below.
Brooklyn’s injuries included Cam Thomas (left hamstring strain) and Michael Porter Jr. (lower back tightness).
The Sixers will host the Hawks on Sunday night. Here are observations on their win over the Nets:
George and Bona back
Paul George returned after missing the Sixers’ loss Tuesday to the Magic with a right ankle sprain. Adem Bona also came back from a sprained right ankle that had sidelined him the past five games.
The Sixers immediately established superiority over the young, lowly Nets. Their first three hoops were all layups, including a lefty George bucket in transition. The Sixers’ first made jumper was a Drummond corner three-pointer. Drummond did a little bit of everything in his first stint, posting seven points, four rebounds, a block and an assist.
George had a nice start as well.
He played over nine minutes in his first run, hit a top-of-the-key three-pointer and scored seven points on 3-for-4 shooting in the opening period. The opposition was obviously not elite, but George was a smooth, self-assured shotmaker in the first half Friday.
Drummond goes down, Sixers patch things together at center
Bona helped the Sixers grow their lead early in the second quarter, scoring inside on three occasions. He continued swatting shots in high-flying fashion, too. The 22-year-old had 13 points, six rebounds and four blocks in his 23 minutes.
The Sixers started the second with an extremely surprising substitution. Kyle Lowry came in to spell Maxey.
Lowry’s only two appearances this season have come in Brooklyn. His first was a garbage-time stint in the Sixers’ blowout win on Nov. 2. Lowry wasn’t in the middle of much action, but he did his job. The 39-year-old dished to George for a three that gave the Sixers a 49-31 advantage. They led by as many as 21 points in the second quarter.
The Sixers were struck by more injury misfortune in the second.
Drummond leapt for a rebound, landed awkwardly and stayed down on the baseline grabbing his right leg. He was assisted back to the locker room with 6:52 to go in the first half.
At halftime, the Sixers ruled Drummond out with a right knee sprain. We’ll see how long he’s out, but the injury is clearly a bummer for Drummond, who’d been a substantially better (and healthier) player than last season. Entering Friday, Drummond had played 16 games, averaged 24.2 minutes and recorded 8.3 points and 10.7 rebounds per contest.
Once Drummond left, Nurse turned to everyone he had available in the frontcourt. Jabari Walker and Johni Broome shared the floor in a zone defense. Though the Sixers maintained a comfortable lead, Walker, Broome, Bona and Dominick Barlow all committed at least two fouls in the first half.
Grimes, McCain with big buckets in 2nd half
The Nets stayed competitive early in the third quarter and cut into their deficit. The Sixers’ offense was a bit less crisp and featured more rushed, contested jumpers. A Demin three trimmed the Sixers’ lead to 74-65.
George had no points on 0-for-2 shooting in the third quarter and didn’t appear in the fourth. He played 21 minutes and ended with 14 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals. Through four games this season, the most minutes he’s played is 25.
In contrast to Maxey, who generally let the defense and flow of the game dictate his decision-making, Grimes was ultra-aggressive in the second half. He made several timely driving layups and constantly attacked the rim.
McCain helped the Sixers avoid any true late-game stress by canning two key threes. He had a quick, confident trigger all night.
Bona also knocked down an improbable corner three late in the shot clock for the first triple of his career.
Buzz is growing around the league that — with a new front office in place — Dallas is going to be active around the NBA trade deadline next February.
Just don't expect Kyrie Irving to be one of the players moved. Anthony Davis on the other hand...
On his Howdy Partners podcast, ESPN's Tim MacMahon echoed his previous reporting, and that of others, that Irving is off the table in trade talks with Dallas. The focus, instead, is likely on what the Mavericks might land for Anthony Davis.
"What I would tell you about Kyrie is the Mavericks do not want to trade him...
"Trading AD is a real possibility—and I would even say likelihood—this season. Trading Kyrie is not something that's on the Mavericks' priority list, or it's just straight up not something that they are interested in doing right now."
Irving, who is still out recovering from ACL surgery (but could return later this season), is on a reasonable contract ($35.6 million this season, a guaranteed $39.5 million next season, followed by a $42.4 million player option for 2027-28), which is part of the reason for the interest in him. However, it likely would take an over-the-top, Godfather offer to get the Mavericks even to consider it.
Davis is a different story.
He is set to return to the court tonight against the Lakers after missing 14 games with a calf strain. Any serious discussion of a Davis trade has to start with him staying on the court through December and January, putting up big numbers and showing teams that he is still an All-Star, maybe an All-NBA level player.
Dallas' challenge in trading Davis is that there is a very limited market for his services — he is a 32-year-old (33 in March) with a history of nagging injuries who is making $54.1 million this season, has a guaranteed $58.5 million next season, and will be seeking a contract extension this summer.
Teams have been mentioned in Davis rumors — Chicago, Golden State, New York and Phoenix (though those final two are highly unlikely) — but even if they are interested, actually constructing a trade is next to impossible. AD's huge salary and the fact that Dallas is right up against the second-apron hard cap make it incredibly challenging to actually put together a trade that works financially and makes sense for both sides. For example, to make a trade to "win now" and struggling Golden State work, the Warriors would have to send back either Jimmy Butler (straight up) or a trade package built around Draymond Green and Jonathan Kuminga, and neither of those makes much sense for both sides.
That's not going to stop the Davis rumors. Just know the ones about Kyrie are not coming together this season.
Lakers forward LeBron James tries to score between Thunder defenders Shai Gilgeous Alexander, right, and Isaiah Hartenstein during an NBA Cup group game last season. The Lakers will not use their NBA Cup court tonight because of concerns it is too slippery. (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)
The Lakers will not use their special NBA Cup court during a group stage game Friday against the Dallas Mavericks after the team flagged concerns that it was too slippery.
After the Lakers debuted the special yellow court on Tuesday in a win over the Clippers, Lakers superstar Luka Doncic said during his postgame news conference that the floor was dangerously slippery. The team reported the problem to the league, and technicians from the court vendor determined the surface was unplayable for the group stage finale, according to a team spokesperson.
The court could be repaired and available in time for the NBA Cup quarterfinals that begin on Dec. 9, if needed. The Lakers, who are 3-0 in West Group B, have already clinched their spot in the knockout round and will secure home-court advantage in the quarterfinals with a win against the Mavericks.
The colorful NBA Cup courts were designed to help set the in-season tournament games apart from other regular-season matchups. The Lakers played their first two NBA Cup games on the road — in Memphis and New Orleans — but Doncic did not remember having a problem with courts in those games. But it became immediately clear during pregame warmups on Tuesday that the Lakers’ bright yellow NBA Cup court presented issues.
“It just felt weird. Just like oily, slippery,” forward Rui Hachimura said Friday morning. “Everybody was on the floor, literally. Every second. … We’re going to do the normal court [Friday], so it will be fine.”
In former Lakers star Anthony Davis’ highly anticipated return to L.A., the Lakers will also get their own big man back as center Deandre Ayton was upgraded to available for Friday’s game after morning shootaround.
Ayton missed Tuesday’s game because of a knee contusion. He suffered the injury in the previous game against the Utah Jazz when he took a knee-to-knee hit. He said the impact was so strong that it felt almost like he broke his knee cap, but after an MRI exam revealed no major damage, he was able to get treatment and medication to help alleviate the swelling.
“It's not really something that’s stopping me from playing,” Ayton said. “It hurts, but it is something I could play through.”
Davis has been sidelined since Oct. 29 when he suffered a calf injury. The Mavericks' forward is expected to play his first game against the Lakers in L.A. after last year’s blockbuster trade that sent him to Dallas in exchange for Doncic. Davis missed last year’s game in L.A. because of injury.
Lakers guard Marcus Smart, who was questionable to play tonight, has been downgraded to doubtful because of back spasms.
Solo Ball scored 15 points and fifth-ranked UConn never trailed in beating No. 13 Illinois 74-61 on Friday at Madison Square Garden. The Huskies (6-1) did not dominate Illinois like in the previous meeting when they scored 30 straight points in the Elite Eight on their way to the 2024 national title, but were more than effective enough until the final minutes when they let a 17-point lead slip to single digits. UConn won for the ninth time in its last 11 games at the Garden and improved to 15-8 in the building under coach Danny Hurley.
Daniel Jacobsen scored a career-high 24 points and had nine rebounds to lead No. Purdue to a 109-62 romp over Eastern Illinois on Friday. The 7-foot-4 Jacobsen sank all eight shot attempts and 8 of 9 free throws for the Boilermakers (7-0).
