NBA Cup group play is wrapping up. Friday’s 11-game slate started with 12 teams battling for six spots in the tournament’s knockout rounds, beginning with the Magic securing a berth in the knockout round.
As the East’s NBA Cup group play subsides, let’s go game by game to examine each result from Friday’s slate as the West groups begin their matchups:
New York Knicks 118, Milwaukee Bucks 107
The Knicks faced multiple double-digit deficits and had one of their own shrink, but they were able to pull out a gritty win against the Bucks in Giannis Antetokounmpo’s return.
secured the dub 👏
Jalen 37 PTS | 4 3PM | 5 AST
Josh 19 PTS | 15 REB | 7 AST | 3 STL
Deuce 19 PTS | 2 REB | 5 3PM
Mikal 14 PTS | 4 REB | 2 AST | 2 STL pic.twitter.com/9jLVcOANMM
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) November 29, 2025
Jalen Brunson did whatever he wanted against Milwaukee through the first three quarters, scoring 31 points in that span. It forced the Bucks to blitz him in the fourth quarter, but his teammates made just enough shots to close out Milwaukee’s late push.
New York will stop in Toronto for the quarterfinals before a potential trip to Las Vegas for the semifinals and finals. This is important because the Knicks will travel more than any other team in the NBA this season if they make it to Las Vegas. New York spent a week in Abu Dhabi for the preseason. The two cross-country flights required if it makes it to Las Vegas are separate from the west coast road trips still on the schedule.
Something to monitor in the second half of the season. — James Edwards III, Knicks beat writer
Orlando Magic 112, Detroit Pistons 109
Contentious contests have become the norm between the Orlando Magic and Detroit Pistons, and Friday’s NBA Cup matchup was no different as the Magic outlasted the Pistons to clinch East Group B. In addition to clinching, Orlando handed Detroit its first back-to-back losses of the season.
Desmond Bane began jawing with multiple Pistons prior to tipoff, and continued throughout the evening. His antics fueled his game as he dropped a team-high 37 points, eight rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and a steal.
Cade Cunningham paced Detroit with his second triple-double of the year, finishing with 39 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists. The Pistons finished with more turnovers (24) than assists (22), allowed four offensive rebounds in final minute and missed seven free throws in a game decided by three points.
Detroit is now effectively eliminated from the Cup and will travel to Miami to play the Heat on Saturday for the second night of back-to-back games looking to avoid its third loss in a row. — Hunter Patterson, Pistons beat writer
WAGIC WIN🪄
East Group B Champs!! pic.twitter.com/1kQ4hWG6Oh
— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) November 29, 2025
Desmond Bane at DET:
37 PTS
8 REB
13-25 FG
11-12 FT pic.twitter.com/Rx01n562o1
— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) November 29, 2025
Atlanta Hawks 130, Cleveland Cavaliers 123
Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson talked before the game about pre-game worries, and not so much about the scoring margin. In retrospect, that seems wise. The Cavs had scenarios where winning by 16 or more would help them advance in the NBA Cup, but they ended up not winning at all in Atlanta. Cleveland fell 130-123 to the Hawks thanks to a rash of turnovers (17) and uncharacteristically poor transition defense (36 Atlanta fastbreak points).
Atlanta’s Jalen Johnson, making a push for an All-Star bid, punished the Cavs with 29 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists for his second triple-double of the season, while guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 28.
DE’ANDRE HUNTER SAID: IT’S POSTER TIME 😮
🆚 CLE-ATL • East Group A
🏆 @emirates NBA Cup
📺 NBA League Pass: https://t.co/sG94ydH6KJ pic.twitter.com/GIHxKM8hRA
— NBA (@NBA) November 29, 2025
Cleveland got 42 from star guard Donovan Mitchell but precious little from the supporting cast. Forward De’Andre Hunter, in his first game back in Atlanta since being dealt to Cleveland by the Hawks there at the February trade deadline, scored 15, including a huge dunk on Mo Gueye that ended in a shoving match between the two.
The Cavs were also hurt by a late jump ball when the game was tied with 1:24 left and the game tied at 123, when Atlanta’s 6-8 Onyeka Okongwu unexpectedly out-tipped Cleveland’s 7-foot Jarrett Allen to secure possession for Atlanta. Zaccharie Rishacer hit a 3 on the Hawks’ possession, and after Alexander-Walker followed with a triple of his own on the next Atlanta trip, the outcome was all but assured. — John Hollinger, senior NBA writer
San Antonio Spurs 139, Denver Nuggets 136
The Spurs continue to play well without Victor Wembanyama, securing their NBA Cup quarterfinals berth with a 139-136 win over the Denver Nuggets. Julian Champagnie was the surprise star for the team, playing more aggressively than he has all season for a season-high 25 points and 10 rebounds. Devin Vassell shot lights out in crunchtime, while De’Aaron Fox recorded his third double-digit assist game of the season.
Most impressively, the Spurs were able to keep Nikola Jokić at bay most of the night, as the three-time MVP took only 10 shots and never quite took over the game. The Spurs have learned over this stretch without their franchise cornerstone that their defensive identity holds up without him, and their offense can open up now that Fox and Dylan Harper are healthy. — Jared Weiss, Spurs beat writer
COMEBACK COMPLETE! pic.twitter.com/rVnUMi3tA5
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) November 29, 2025
WALKING BUCKET @Yvngdevo 🪣 pic.twitter.com/VkAJRLE447
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) November 29, 2025
Oklahoma City Thunder 123, Phoenix Suns 119
The Thunder escaped with a win against the scrappy Suns and clinched West Group A of the NBA Cup. OKC nearly gave this game away in the closing seconds after Collin Gillespie knocked the ball away from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and both teams scrambled for possession. Alex Caruso came up with the ball and dished it to SGA, who clinched the game with free throws to secure the matchup’s final score.
🗡️. pic.twitter.com/T5lTDtt4xo
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) November 29, 2025
Postgame breakdown with @shaiglalex and @NickAGallo after the W 🎙️ pic.twitter.com/W1bCJBUQrw
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) November 29, 2025
The Suns were led by Gillespie, who poured in 24 points, three rebounds and four assists. Jalen Williams made his season debut after missing the first 19 games due to wrist surgery. Williams struggled to score, going 3-of-12 from the field for 11 points. The Thunder will likely be the top seed in the West as they posted a league-high plus-75 point differential for NBA Cup group play. Their opponent likely be this same Suns team who looks to be the Wild Card team in the West. — Andrew Schlecht, NBA podcast host
Memphis Grizzlies 112, LA Clippers 107
The LA Clippers blew a 16-point second half lead to the Memphis Grizzlies, losing their 12th game of the month. The NBA Cup was a remote possibility for the Clippers after they lost to the Lakers Tuesday night, but the Clippers have bigger problems than a cup right now. They are losing games with Kawhi Leonard scoring 39 points and are firmly in the bottom five of the Western Conference. Their .263 win percentage puts them on pace for the worst single-season record 2008-09 (19-63).
Chris Paul did not address media tonight despite acknowledging his retirement via Clippers tribute video. It is the fourth straight game that Paul did not address media following his Saturday morning social media post in Charlotte. — Law Murray, Clippers beat writer
