The first night of the 2026 NBA Cup delivered the full package: star power, wild swings, and a few court designs that were impossible to ignore. The 76ers handled the Knicks again, the Heat took a big step toward settling the noise around their star pairing, and the Warriors turned what looked like a disaster into one of the night’s loudest statements.
Golden State produced the biggest turnaround of the opening slate. The Lakers came out flying, with Luka Dončić burying five threes and piling up 21 points in the first quarter alone as Los Angeles raced to a 38-15 lead.
The Warriors were ice-cold early, shooting 22.7% from the field. Then everything changed in the second quarter.
Golden State matched the Lakers’ exact 38-15 output, and De’Anthony Melton sparked the surge with 13 points off the bench.
By the end, Stephen Curry had 31 points and the Warriors had a 112-95 win. Golden State 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 also the largest by any team that trailed by at least 25 points over the last 30 seasons.
Curry’s night wasn’t just about the comeback. He also delivered one of the sharpest highlights of the year, and it came with Dončić as the defender.
In the third quarter, with the Warriors down nine, Curry worked through a dribbling sequence that left Dončić stumbling before the Lakers star hit the floor and Curry stepped back for the three. The two shared a laugh after the game.
The Lakers’ collapse made the comeback even more brutal, especially after Dončić’s huge opening quarter. He finished with 37 points, while Curry’s 31 helped turn the game into a runaway.
Kevin Durant also had a moment that belongs on the season’s highlight reel. In the third quarter of Houston’s NBA Cup opener, Durant started on the perimeter, crossed over P.J.
Washington, took two more dribbles and hammered home a dunk over Mavericks big man Daniel Garrod. It was the kind of finish that stops a game cold.
But Dallas had the last word. Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving combined for 68 points in the Mavericks’ 116-111 win, handing the Rockets their first loss of the year.
Miami, meanwhile, looked far more settled than it had to start the season. After opening 0-4 in the Giannis-Bam era, the Heat beat Atlanta on Wednesday and then rolled past the Pacers 145-125 to begin NBA Cup play 1-0.
Giannis Antetokounmpo posted his second triple-double of the season with 31 points, 18 rebounds and 10 assists. Even so, Bam Adebayo was the bigger storyline.
He scored 27 points on 11-of-14 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds, a strong response after a rough start. The Heat are now 2-0 when both Antetokounmpo and Adebayo score at least 20 points.
Minnesota also got a much-needed lift. Rudy Gobert had gone 0-for-13 from the field over his previous two games and was part of an intense conversation on the Timberwolves bench with LaMelo Ball.
Friday night brought a cleaner answer. Gobert finished with nine points on 4-of-7 shooting, 13 rebounds and a season-high four assists in Minnesota’s 127-101 win over the Clippers.
Chicago’s season keeps getting uglier. The Bulls fell to 1-5 after a 125-111 loss to the Celtics, and they have now allowed at least 124 points in all six games this season.
For comparison, eight NBA teams have not given up 124 points in a single game yet. Rookie Caleb Wilson still managed a bright spot with six made threes and 23 points, and after the game he said, “I’m never going to accept being a loser.”
Charlotte’s offense was just as hard to stomach. In a 95-79 loss to the Wizards, the Hornets scored more than 20 points in only one quarter, shot 30% from the field and 21% from three.
They now own three of the NBA’s six lowest-scoring outputs of the young 2026-27 season: 79 points 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.
And then there was Rudy Gobert, who was staring at a rough stretch and ended up helping Minnesota steady itself. That’s the kind of swing the first night of the NBA Cup gave us: one team erasing a 23-point hole, another star burying a defender on national highlight duty, and a few struggling clubs reminding everyone how quickly the season can turn.
In Other News...
Hornets Catch A Big Opening As Sixers Stars Suddenly Waver
The early-season injury management carousel has already started spinning in Philadelphia, and it could matter for anyone watching the East. The 76ers are being careful with their stars right away, with LeBron James sitting for back and low back management and Joel Embiid also out because of right foot plantar fasciitis, a reminder that even in October the margin for error can disappear fast.
There is more uncertainty around the lineup, too, with Jaylen Brown listed as questionable because of a left patella issue. If he cannot go, Philadelphia would need even more from Tyrese Maxey, which only adds to the sense that the Hornets may have caught a favorable opening before the season has fully settled into rhythm. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Face A Strange Opportunity In A Game Full Of Uncertainty
Saturday nights matchup has taken on a different look before the Hornets even tip off, with Philadelphia already trimming its rotation because of injury management. The situation adds another layer of uncertainty to a game that would normally be defined by the usual East Coast stakes, but instead now feels like a test of which side can adapt better to a shifting injury report.
Charlotte still has its own absences to manage, with Kon Knueppel, Coby White, and Grant Williams all unavailable again. Add in Jaylen Browns questionable status after missing the previous game, and the Hornets are left trying to navigate a messy setup where availability may matter as much as execution. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Face One Telling Young Core Decision Before Monday
The leagues rookie-scale option deadline is creating a small but meaningful checkpoint for front offices, and Charlotte is among the teams still sorting through it. NBA clubs have until Monday to decide on 2027/28 team options for former first-round picks, with 35 already exercised around the league and 17 calls still pending across a handful of teams, including the Hornets, Nuggets, Bucks, Thunder, Jazz and Wizards.
For Charlotte, the decisions are part of a broader look at how the young core fits together and how the roster will be managed going forward. Some of these options are expected to be straightforward, while others can hinge on role projection and cap planning, which is why the Hornets still have a few boxes left to check before the deadline arrives. [Read more 🡒]