Published On ۳۱ Oct ۲۰۲۶
LeBron James scored ۲۰ points, including a late tip-in, to help seal the Philadelphia ۷۶ers’ ۹۸-۹۳ victory over the NBA champions New York Knicks on Friday.
The ۷۶ers notched their second win of the young season over the Knicks after spoiling their championship banner-raising with a victory at Madison Square Garden on opening night.
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The win had a double edge as Friday’s games marked the start of the fourth edition of the NBA Cup, the NBA in-season tournament won by the Knicks before they went on to beat the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals for their first championship since ۱۹۷۳.
Group-stage Cup games will be played throughout November, all counting in the regular-season standings. Quarterfinals will be played December ۴-۵ and semifinals December ۸-۹ before the final on December ۱۱ at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Tyrese Maxey scored ۲۷ points to lead the Sixers, who took control early against the sloppy Knicks.
They led by ۱۴ in the third quarter and weathered a late Knicks surge.
Jalen Brunson’s step-back three-pointer put New York up ۹۰-۸۹ with ۱:۳۲ remaining.
James, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, answered with a basket that put Philadelphia back in front and pushed the lead to ۹۶-۹۱ with a tip-in off a Maxey miss with ۱۱.۹ seconds left.
LeBron’s ‘best game’
James, ۴۱, added nine rebounds, eight assists, one steal and a vintage chase-down block in what ۷۶ers coach Nick Nurse called his best game since joining as a free agent in July.
“I thought he was really good all the way through,” Nurse said. “When we got some downhill stuff, he used his size and knocked them around a little bit for some layups … kind of pushed and organised it.
“He’s been good, but that was his best game, for sure.”
Brunson led New York with ۲۴ points, and Karl-Anthony Towns added ۲۲ points and ۱۲ rebounds for the Knicks, who fell to ۲-۴.
The Dallas Mavericks, fuelled by ۳۵ points from Kyrie Irving and ۳۳ from Cooper Flagg, rallied to hand the Houston Rockets their first defeat of the season, ۱۱۶-۱۱۱.
The Rockets had emerged from a back-and-forth first half with a ۵۱-۴۴ lead, pushing the advantage to as many as ۱۱ before taking an eight-point lead into the final frame.
Irving’s three-pointer with ۷:۰۱ remaining put Dallas back in front, and they wouldn’t trail again, the Mavs finding an answer when Houston twice pulled level in the final stretch.
“It felt good,” Irving said. “We came in at halftime, we weren’t proud of our effort. We looked each other in the eye, and we were just like, we’ve got to do better.
“We didn’t bring it in the first half, but the second half we definitely brought it.”
Curry climbs scoring list
Golden State star Stephen Curry scored ۳۱ points to lead the Warriors to a ۱۱۲-۹۵ victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in a rollercoaster contest in San Francisco.
The Lakers outscored the Warriors ۳۸-۱۵ in the first quarter, the Warriors erasing the ۲۳-point deficit by outscoring Los Angeles ۳۸-۱۵ in the second to knot it ۵۳-۵۳ at halftime.
Luka Doncic scored ۳۷ points for the Lakers. The night’s abiding image was of him crashing to the floor as he was wrong-footed by Curry – who fired over him for a three-pointer.
Curry took his career points tally to ۲۶,۶۷۴, surpassing Dominique Wilkins (۲۶,۶۶۸) for ۱۸th on the all-time scoring list.
In Miami, Giannis Antetokounmpo delivered a triple-double of ۳۱ points, ۱۸ rebounds and ۱۰ assists to propel the Heat to a ۱۴۵-۱۲۵ victory over the Indiana Pacers.
In Boston, the Celtics romped to a ۱۲۵-۱۱۱ victory over the Chicago Bulls. Payton Pritchard scored ۳۰ points off the bench, and Jayson Tatum scored ۲۶ for the Celtics, who led by as many as ۳۲ points.
Orlando’s Desmond Bane scored ۲۸ points, Franz Wagner added ۲۶ and Wendell Carter chipped in ۲۰ as the Magic fended off a late challenge to beat the Raptors ۱۲۱-۱۱۴ in Toronto.
The Magic drained ۱۸ three-pointers and withstood a career-high ۴۱-point performance from Toronto’s Scottie Barnes.
Detroit shook off a slow start to hand the winless Nets a fifth straight defeat in Brooklyn, where Cade Cunningham scored ۲۰ points, and Ron Holland added ۱۸ off the bench in a ۱۱۰-۹۴ Pistons victory.
