The first night of the 2026 NBA Cup delivered the kind of chaos that makes this event feel built for highlights. There were huge scoring bursts, a wild comeback in Golden State, a monster night from Miami’s star duo and a few teams that looked like they’d rather skip the whole thing.
Start with the Warriors, because their opener against the Lakers turned into the night’s biggest swing. Luka Dončić came out firing, burying five threes and piling up 21 points as Los Angeles stormed to a 38-15 lead after one quarter. Golden State looked stuck at 22.7% shooting from the field and in real trouble.
Then the second quarter happened.
The Warriors answered by outscoring the Lakers 38-15 in the frame - the exact same score - and De’Anthony Melton sparked the turnaround with 13 points off the bench. By the end, Stephen Curry had 31 points and Golden State had ripped off a 112-95 win.
It also made history: the Warriors became the first team to trail by at least 23 points after one quarter and still tie the game by halftime. Per ESPN, the 17-point victory was the largest by any team that had trailed by at least 25 points in the last 30 seasons.
Curry also gave the night its cleanest highlight. In the third quarter, with Golden State still trailing by nine, he went at Dončić in isolation, put the Lakers star in a spin of confusion with a dribbling sequence, watched Dončić fall, then stepped back and knocked down the three. The two stars laughed about it after the game.
The Lakers, though, weren’t the only team on the wrong end of a signature moment. Kevin Durant delivered one of the best dunks of his career in Houston’s NBA Cup opener, starting from the perimeter, crossing over P.J.
Washington, taking two more dribbles and hammering home a thunderous finish over Mavericks big man Daniel Garrod. It was a poster-worthy play, even if the Rockets couldn’t finish the night with a win.
Dallas got the last word there, with Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving combining for 68 points in a 116-111 victory that handed Houston its first loss of the year.
Elsewhere, the Hornets’ offense continued to be a rough watch. In a 95-79 loss to the Wizards, Charlotte managed more than 20 points in only one quarter, shot 30% from the floor and hit just 21% from deep.
That gives the Hornets three of the NBA’s six lowest-scoring outputs of the young 2026-27 season: 79 against Washington, 81 against Atlanta and 89 against Detroit. Their 584 total points are the fewest by any team through six games since the 2021-22 Pistons had 577.
Kon Knueppel and Coby White can’t get back fast enough.
Rudy Gobert, meanwhile, looked much better after a brutal stretch. He had gone 0-for-13 from the field over his previous two games and had an intense bench conversation with LaMelo Ball, but Friday night brought a reset.
Gobert finished with nine points on 4-of-7 shooting, 13 rebounds and a season-high four assists as Minnesota rolled past the Clippers 127-101. The Timberwolves still have plenty to sort out without Anthony Edwards, but this was a cleaner, sharper showing.
Chicago’s start remains ugly. The Bulls fell to 1-5 after dropping a 125-111 decision to the Celtics, and they have now allowed at least 124 points in all six games this season.
That’s a staggering number when eight NBA teams still haven’t given up 124 in a single game. Rookie Caleb Wilson had a strong night offensively with 23 points and six made threes, but he also had to live with being tagged as a loser on the list.
After the game, he said, “I’m never going to accept being a loser.” He added, “I’ve never been a loser in my whole life, so I’m going to try my best to make sure that doesn’t happen.
I’m never going to accept being a loser.”
And then there’s Miami, which may have found something real. After an 0-4 start to the Giannis-Bam era, the Heat beat Atlanta on Wednesday and followed it with a 145-125 demolition of the Pacers to open NBA Cup play 1-0.
Antetokounmpo was brilliant again, posting his second triple-double of the season with 31 points, 18 rebounds and 10 assists. But Adebayo was the bigger storyline this time, scoring 27 points on 11-of-14 shooting with nine rebounds and putting a quieting end to the early-season concern around his rough start.
The Heat are now 2-0 when both Antetokounmpo and Adebayo score at least 20 points.
In Other News...
Payton Pritchard Is Giving The Celtics More Than Just Scoring
Early in the season, Joe Mazzulla pushed Payton Pritchard to bring more to the Celtics than shot-making, and the guard has clearly taken the message to heart. In Bostons recent NBA Cup game against the Chicago Bulls, Pritchard paired his usual scoring punch with a noticeably sharper edge on the defensive end, showing the kind of activity that can help him stay on the floor in bigger moments.
Pritchard has said he wants to add more on-ball pressure and rebound better, and Mazzulla was encouraged enough by the showing to point to even more room for growth. For a Celtics team that already leans on Pritchards offense, the appeal is obvious if he can keep turning those defensive habits into something steady rather than occasional. [Read more 🡒]
Paul George Is Driving A Celtics Change That Could Matter In May
Bostons defense has looked noticeably more disruptive early on, with the ball pressure and activity level showing up in ways that go beyond the usual opening-month noise. The Celtics are getting into passing lanes, swiping at dribbles and turning stops into chances to run, a shift that has given the group a different kind of edge while also cutting down on second-chance looks at the other end.
Paul George has been right at the center of that change, bringing the kind of defensive playmaking that can swing possessions before a set offense ever gets started. His rebounding has helped finish possessions, too, and if this level of aggressiveness holds, it could give Boston a useful wrinkle when the games tighten and the margins shrink later in the season. [Read more 🡒]
Celtics Still Have One Early Rotation Question They Cant Ignore
The Celtics center rotation is still taking shape after the addition of Mitchell Robinson, and early on it has looked more like an evaluation than a settled plan. Robinson has started all five games, but Boston is still sorting out how his game fits alongside Neemias Queta, especially with Robinson adjusting to a role that asks more of him as a screener and less as a traditional finisher.
Quetas time as the backup has not been straightforward either, with rebounding and foul trouble making the picture even murkier for Joe Mazzullas staff. It leaves Boston with a frontcourt question worth watching in the early part of the season, because the Celtics need more than just bodies at center - they need a pairing that can hold up possession after possession while the rest of the rotation continues to settle in. [Read more 🡒]