Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga (00) drives to the basket against New Orleans Pelicans guard Trey Murphy III (25) and center Trey Jemison III (55) during second half at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, Nov. 22, 2024.
(Reuters) — Andrew Wiggins poured in a season-best 30 points, Stephen Curry added 19 and the Golden State Warriors clinched first place in West Group C of the NBA Cup with a 112-108 road victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night.
Draymond Green chipped in with 11 points, eight rebounds and five assists for the Warriors, who improved to 3-0 in tournament play. Golden State will play in the NBA Cup quarterfinals on Dec. 10 or Dec. 11.
Trey Murphy III went for a season-best 24 points and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl compiled a 19-point, 12-rebound double-double off the bench for the Pelicans, who fell to 1-2 in Cup play.
Wiggins, whose point total was one higher than his previous season-best, hit 9 of 14 shots and all nine of his free throw attempts en route to his third straight 20-point performance.
Bucks 129, Pacers 117
Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded his second triple-double of the season with 37 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds as Milwaukee led wire-to-wire over visiting Indiana in an NBA Cup game.
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Damian Lillard had 24 points and 12 assists for his third straight double-double to help Milwaukee win its third in a row. The Bucks have won five of their past six since opening the season 2-8 and improved to 2-0 in the NBA Cup.
Indiana trailed by as many as 25 points in the third quarter and lost for the fifth time in its past six games. The Pacers shot 11 of 34 (32.4 percent) from 3-point range and fell to 0-2 in the NBA Cup.
Mavericks 123, Nuggets 120
Naji Marshall scored a career-high 26 points, P.J. Washington had 22, and visiting Dallas beat Denver in an NBA Cup West Group C game.
Kyrie Irving finished with 19 points for Dallas, which played without Luka Doncic, who will be out for at least four games due to a right wrist injury. The Mavericks are 2-1 in the NBA Cup.
Nikola Jokic had 33 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists in his return after missing three games for the birth of his second child. Christian Braun and Michael Porter Jr. scored 17 points each for Denver, which fell to 1-2 in the NBA Cup.
76ers 113, Nets 98
Jared McCain scored 30 points, Tyrese Maxey added 26, and despite playing without Joel Embiid and Paul George, Philadelphia snapped a five-game skid by beating visiting Brooklyn for its first NBA Cup victory.
McCain, a rookie, posted his seventh consecutive game scoring 20-plus point, and his second professional game with at least 30, shooting 11-of-20 from the floor and 6-of-11 from 3-point range.
Brooklyn’s Cameron Johnson led all scorers with 37 points after putting up 34 in Tuesday’s 116-115 win at Charlotte. Johnson shot 9-of-13 from 3-point range, but the rest of the Nets went just 4-of-24 from beyond the arc.
Celtics 108, Wizards 96
Jaylen Brown had 31 points and 11 rebounds to lead visiting Boston past stubborn Washington in an NBA Cup matchup.
Jayson Tatum and Jrue Holiday added 16 points each for the Celtics, who have won four straight overall and are 2-1 in East Group C Cup play.
Jordan Poole scored 23 points and Kyle Kuzma added 21 for the Wizards, who have lost 10 straight, nine by double digits. Malcolm Brogdon finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds for Washington, which is 0-2 in NBA Cup play.
Bulls 136, Hawks 122
Zach LaVine scored 26 points and Ayo Dosunmu and Coby White added 20 apiece to spark seven Chicago players in double figures in defeating visiting Atlanta in an NBA Cup game.
Nikola Vucevic posted 18 points and 13 rebounds for Chicago. The Bulls reached a season high in points while blocking a season-best 10 shots, led by four from Vucevic, to help offset three Hawks with 20-plus points. Chicago is 1-1 in Cup games.
Atlanta’s Jalen Johnson had 25 points and 13 rebounds, Trae Young contributed 25 points and 13 assists and Clint Capela amassed 21 points and 11 rebounds. The Hawks are 2-1 in Cup play.
Rockets 116, Trail Blazers 88
Dillon Brooks scored a season-high 28 points and Tari Eason added 22 off the bench as Houston rolled to a victory over visiting Portland.
Brooks shot 10 of 15 from the floor and finished 6-for-8 on 3-pointers, leading Houston to its seventh win in its past eight games. The Rockets improved to 2-0 and the Trail Blazers are 1-1 in West Group A of the NBA Cup.
Shaedon Sharpe and Deni Avdija scored 13 points apiece for the Trail Blazers. Portland shot 33 percent while committing 21 turnovers, which the Rockets converted into 28 points.
Clippers 104, Kings 88
James Harden had 22 points and nine assists and Derrick Jones Jr. added 17 points as Los Angeles extended its winning streak to four games by beating visiting Sacramento in Inglewood, Calif.
The Clippers extended their home winning streak to seven games and have won consecutive games without leading scorer Norman Powell (23.3 points per game), who is out with a left hamstring strain. The Clippers improved to 1-1 and the Kings fell to 0-2 in West Group A of the NBA Cup.
De’Aaron Fox scored 29 points and Domantas Sabonis added 24 points with 15 rebounds after missing the previous two games with a back injury. DeMar DeRozan chipped in 16 points after missing three games with his own back issue.