LeBron James delivered a clutch performance, scoring 20 points—including a crucial late tip-in—to help the Philadelphia 76ers secure a 98-93 victory over the defending NBA champion New York Knicks on Friday. This win marked the second consecutive victory for the 76ers over the Knicks early in the season, following their season-opening win that spoiled New York’s championship banner-raising ceremony at Madison Square Garden.
The victory carried added significance as it kicked off the fourth edition of the NBA Cup. The Knicks, who won the inaugural in-season tournament last year before capturing their first championship since 1973 by defeating the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals, faced the 76ers in this key group-stage matchup. Group-stage games will be played throughout November, counting toward the regular-season standings. The tournament will proceed with quarterfinals on December 4-5, semifinals on December 8-9, and the final on December 11 at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Tyrese Maxey led the Sixers with 27 points, helping his team establish control early against an uncharacteristically sloppy Knicks team. Philadelphia built a 14-point lead in the third quarter and managed to weather a late New York surge. With the game on the line, Jalen Brunson’s step-back three-pointer put New York ahead 90-89 with only 1:32 remaining. However, NBA all-time leading scorer LeBron James answered immediately, driving the lane and scoring a basket to put Philadelphia back in front. The lead was extended to 96-91 after James secured a tip-in off a Maxey miss with just 11.9 seconds remaining, effectively sealing the victory.
LeBron’s ‘Best Game’ So Far
At 41 years old, James added nine rebounds, eight assists, one steal, and a vintage chase-down block, delivering what 76ers head coach Nick Nurse described as his best game since joining the team 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 24 points, while Karl-Anthony Towns contributed 22 points and 12 rebounds. Despite their efforts, the Knicks fell to a 2-4 record.
Elsewhere in the NBA Cup, the Dallas Mavericks secured a hard-fought 116-111 victory over the Houston Rockets, handing them their first loss of the season. Kyrie Irving scored 35 points and Cooper Flagg added 33, fueling a second-half rally. The Rockets entered halftime with a 51-44 lead and extended it to as many as 11 points before taking an eight-point advantage into the final quarter. Irving’s three-pointer with 7:01 remaining put Dallas back in front, and the Mavericks held on despite Houston twice pulling level late in the game.
“It felt good,” Irving said post-game. “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 All-Time Scoring List
Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry scored 31 points to lead his team to a 112-95 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in a wild, rollercoaster matchup in San Francisco. The Lakers dominated the first quarter, outscoring Golden State 38-15. However, the Warriors responded by outscoring Los Angeles 38-15 in the second quarter, knotting the score at 53-53 at halftime.
Luka Doncic led the Lakers with 37 points, but the defining moment of the night came when Doncic was left off-balance, crashing to the floor as Curry stepped back and fired a three-pointer over him. With this performance, Curry elevated his career points total to 26,674, surpassing Dominique Wilkins (26,668) to claim the 18th spot on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
In Miami, Giannis Antetokounmpo put on a masterclass, recording a triple-double with 31 points, 18 rebounds, and 10 assists to propel the Heat to a dominant 145-125 victory over the Indiana Pacers.
In Boston, the Celtics cruised to a 125-111 win over the Chicago Bulls. Payton Pritchard led the bench with 30 points, while Jayson Tatum added 26, helping the Celtics build a lead of as many as 32 points.
Orlando’s Desmond Bane scored 28 points, Franz Wagner contributed 26, and Wendell Carter added 20 as the Magic held off a late challenge to defeat the Toronto Raptors 121-114. The Magic knocked down 18 three-pointers and survived a career-high 41-point performance from Toronto’s Scottie Barnes.
Detroit overcame a slow start to hand the winless Brooklyn Nets their fifth consecutive defeat. Cade Cunningham scored 20 points, and Ron Holland added 18 off the bench, leading the Pistons to a 110-94 victory.