Can’t wait for NBA Cup play to resume tonight with 11 games?
Here’s every court on a loop to keep you busy until tip off.
5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
Cup Friday: Group Play heats up with 11 games, including 14 teams in Cup openers
Texas Showdown: Wemby’s Spurs vs. KD’s Rockets in West Group C opener on Prime
West Elite Clash: Jokić & Nuggets host Warriors in West Group C nightcap on Prime
Run It Back: 2024 Cup finalists – Bucks vs. CHI & Thunder at SAC – open Cup play
Green 🤝 Barkley: Jalen Green with the second-most points in a Suns debut ever
BUT FIRST … ⏰
The second of five straight Fridays featuring NBA Cup Group Play doubleheaders on Prime Video tips off in Texas with the Rockets visiting the Spurs (7:30 ET | Tap To Watch), followed by the Nuggets hosting the Warriors (10 ET | Tap To Watch).
1. EMIRATES NBA CUP RESUMES WITH 11 GROUP PLAY GAMES
It’s been 325 days since the Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder to win the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup Championship.
Tonight, both teams will open Group Play with their sights set on another December trip to Las Vegas.
In addition to the Bucks and Thunder, 12 more teams will open Group Play on Friday – part of a jam-packed 11 game slate. | NBA Cup Hub | Current Standings | How It Works
Here’s a quick look at where things stand entering the second Cup Night on Prime Video.
Fourteen teams open Group Play: Wizards (East A); Pistons, Magic & Nets (East B); Bucks, Heat & Hornets (East C); Thunder, Wolves & Kings (West A); Mavs (West B); Rockets, Warriors & Spurs (West C)
Four teams coming off wins: Raptors & Hawks (East A), Celtics (East B), Bulls (East C)
Four teams coming off losses: Cavs (East A), Jazz (West A), Grizzlies (West B), Nuggets (West C)
Here are three key matchups on League Pass. We’ll dive into the two Prime Video doubleheader matchups in Section 2 (Rockets at Spurs) & Section 3 (Warriors at Nuggets), as well as last year’s Cup finalists in Section 4 (Bucks vs. Bulls; Thunder at Kings). ⬇️
Raptors at Hawks (7:30 ET, East A): Both teams opened Group Play with wins last Friday – Hawks over Pacers, Raptors over Cavs – which means the winner of this matchup will take command as the group’s only 2-0 team
Celtics at Magic (7 ET, East B): The Celtics are coming off a one-point win over the 76ers in a thriller last Friday. Can they improve to 2-0 in Group Play against a Magic squad in its Group Play opener?
Mavs at Grizzlies (8 ET, West B): The Grizzlies – who dropped their Group Play opener against the Lakers last Friday – will look to bounce back against the Mavs, who open Group Play looking to snap a three-game losing streak
Before tonight’s action tips off, look back at some of the best moments from Week 1 of Cup Play.
Luka Dončić erupted for 44 points – tying himself for the third-highest scoring Cup performance ever – to lead L.A. past Memphis
Kawhi Leonard called game with a buzzer-beater over NOLA
Josh Giddey’s near triple-double (32 pts, 10 reb, 9 ast) led Chicago to its first 5-0 start since 1996-97
Jaylen Brown dropped 32 points to help Boston end Philly’s undefeated season
2. PRIME PREVIEW: WEMBY VS. DURANT IN TEXAS SHOWDOWN
Kevin Durant and Victor Wembanyama stand at vastly different stages in their careers.
Now in his 18th season, Durant is a two-time NBA champion and 15-time All-Star at 37 years old. Wembanyama is just 21, embarking on Year 3 following his first-ever All-Star selection.
“He’s a unique player,” Durant said of Wemby. “He’s going to be a force in this league for a long time.”
The respect goes both ways.
“He’s really a problem,” Wembanyama said of Durant. “He’s one of the top, hardest players to guard in the league.”
Tonight, they duel for the first time in 2025-26 – their 5th meeting ever – as the Spurs welcome the Rockets (7:30 ET, Prime Video). It also marks the teams’ respective NBA Cup openers in West Group C.
Older Wemby: (above) Durant, who ranks 6th league-wide in mid-range field goals made, is a pure scorer who shoots with efficiency all over the court.
Younger KD (above): Similarly-exceptional at leveraging his height and size, Wembanyama also boasts a strong post-up game and ranks 1st among centers in mid-range field goals made.
“The one I studied the most, without a doubt, has got to be Kevin Durant,” Wembanyama said. “The way he plays, his moves, how he gets to his spots.”
Shot Charts: Comparing the made buckets so far this season from Durant and Wemby
But there’s more to the game than getting buckets. Each of these squads feature some of the Association’s premier defenders.
Strong Stopper: San Antonio’s Stephon Castle, averaging 2.0 steals per game, has a 104.6 defensive rating – 5th-best among those who have played at least 30 minutes per contest
Right Behind Him? A reigning All-Defensive First Team honoree in Houston’s Amen Thompson, who places 6th in that regard (104.9)
Houston and San Antonio are 5-2 entering their matchup and Houston is on a five-game win streak, tying the Lakers for this season’s longest streak
In Orbit: The group’s sizzling offense has produced 124.7 ppg and a 42.7% 3-point percentage, good for the NBA lead in both respects
Unstoppable Force: Durant (24 ppg), Alperen Sengun (22.4) and Thompson (18.6) lead the attack, but Josh Okogie’s 126.1 offensive rating is the highest of any Rocket
Immovable Object: But the Spurs have excelled at containing scorers, owning the league’s No. 2 defensive rating (109.6) behind Wembanyama, the NBA’s blocks leader (4.1)
3. PRIME PREVIEW: JOKIĆ LEADS NUGGETS VS. WARRIORS
When the Nuggets visited the Warriors during opening week, these two West powerhouses put on a show filled with signature moments.
A Career Night: Aaron Gordon dropped a career-best 50 points on 17-of-21 shooting, including 10-of-11 shooting from beyond the arc
A Steph Heater: Steph Curry caught fire in the 4th quarter and overtime, scoring 20 of Golden State’s final 30 points as he finished with 42 and six 3s
An Extra Frame: Forty-eight minutes weren’t enough to decide this matchup as the Warriors emerged with their second straight single-digit win vs. Denver
A Jokić Masterpiece: Nikola Jokić (21 pts, 13 reb, 10 ast) posted the first of his record-tying four straight triple-doubles to open the season
Tonight on Prime (10 ET), these two teams meet again – only this time with the added stakes of NBA Cup Group Play as the Nuggets look to bounce back from a Cup loss to Portland last Friday and the Warriors look to win their Group Play opener.
With Curry out tonight (illness), the Warriors will face an even greater challenge in countering Jokić’s all-around brilliance.
He’s logged five triple-doubles in the season’s first seven games – a feat only matched by Oscar Robertson in 1961 – and is coming off his seventh career game with at least 30 points, 15 boards and 15 assists.
Jokić and the Nuggets are at their best when the three-time Kia MVP showcases every aspect of his game. He ranks third all-time in career triple-doubles with 169 and the Nuggets have won 132 of those games – that’s a 78.1% win percentage.
The challenge for the Warriors will be containing Jokić, while also generating enough offense without Curry, who ranks 12th in the league in scoring at 26.8 ppg. When it comes to defending the Joker, the Warriors have two cards up their sleeve.
Draymond Green: While he can’t match Jokić in size, the 6-foot-6 Green is one of the smartest and most versatile defenders in the game. In 4:57 of matchup time on Oct. 23, Green held Jokić to six points and two assists with one turnover
Al Horford: The new Warrior defended Jokić for a team-high 6:19, allowing nine points on 3-of-11 (27.3%) shooting with six assists
4. LEAGUE PASS SPOTLIGHT: 2024 CUP FINALISTS OPEN 2025 GROUP PLAY
6-1 meets a defending champion.
8-1 meets a clicking team coming off its biggest win.
The beauty of the NBA Cup is stakes like these can be realized early in the season. Anyone can come in hot and impact the outlook of the tournament – and a handful of surging teams look to do that tonight.
Bulls at Bucks (8 ET, East C): The 2024 NBA Cup Champs make their 2025 tournament debut, hosting the East-best Bulls. These divisional foes (137-134 Bulls, all-time) face off in the Cup for the first time.
Battle of Wills: Giannis Antetokounmpo (32.3 ppg, 12.6 rpg, 6.3 apg) continues to operate at an elite level on a nightly basis. Josh Giddey has been doing more of the same, coming off back-to-back triple-doubles (26 ppg, 13 rpg, 12 apg)
Lone Buck: The first player to ever average 30+ ppg on 60+ FG% (2023-24), Giannis has carried that mark for two seasons, and is averaging it again now
“We’re always confident in each other,” Giddey says of a Bulls squad he’ll lean on to contain Giannis, and continue to involve offensively (Chicago ranks third assists and 3P%)
Thunder at Kings (10 ET, West A): Sacramento – which has faced a league-high-tying eight teams over .500 – is riding Russell Westbrook’s hot hand, and looking to hand West-leading OKC its first consecutive losses since April 4-6 last season.
Triple-Double King: Westbrook logged his first triple-double (23 pts, 16 reb, 10 ast) since March 17 (when he was with Denver) in the Kings’ first win by more than one possession
“I’m the best rebounding guard ever,” said Russ before learning he had passed Jason Kidd to claim that title (8,734 career boards)
“It brings more oomph, more energy,” said Malik Monk of Westbrook joining the Kings’ starting unit. “We needed it bad.”
Now, the Kings get the defending champs again, who they led for 40+ minutes until OKC took over with a game-ending 17-4 run in an Oct. 28th Thunder win.
Best 10: Last year’s Cup runner-up, the Thunder begin 2025 Group Play seeking the best 10-game start (9-1) of the OKC era
A Season’s Worth: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander aims for his 82nd straight game with 20+ points, a streak only topped by Wilt Chamberlain
5. JALEN GREEN SHINES IN SUNS DEBUT
Suns debut.
Played in Phoenix.
Against the Clippers.
Separated by 33 years (nearly to the day).
On Nov. 7, 1992, it was Charles Barkley, who dropped 37 points, 21 rebounds and eight assists in 44 minutes in a Suns win
On Nov. 6, 2025, it was Jalen Green, who dropped 29 points with six 3-pointers, three rebounds, three assists and two steals in 23 minutes in a Suns win
Suns 115, Clippers 102: After missing Phoenix’s first eight games with a strained hamstring, Green scored the second-most points in a Suns debut ever to lead Phoenix past LA on Thursday night. | Recap
Restless: How eager was Green to make his debut? “I couldn’t even take my nap, I was so excited,” said Green after the win
Team Effort: Green and Devin Booker (24 pts, 6 reb, 7 ast) led six Suns in double digits, while Ivica Zubac (23 pts, 11 reb) paced the Clippers, who were without Kawhi Leonard and James Harden
Turning Point: Trailing by three at the half, the Suns dominated the 3rd quarter, outscoring the Clippers 40-23 behind seven 3s and a combined 27 points from the trio of Royce O’Neale (11 pts), Booker and Green (8 pts each)
Deep In The Desert: The Suns rank third in the league in 3s made per game (16.2) – a mark they topped on Tuesday with 19 3s led by Green’s six, O’Neale’s five, Grayson Allen’s four and Booker’s three
Must-See Moments: From Ryan Dunn skying for the alley-oop throwdown to Booker’s slick hesi leading to an and-1 finish and Green’s reaction after hitting his sixth triple of the night for his final points, the Suns kept the home crowd amped
Familiar Foes: Tuesday was the opening of a home-and-home set over a three-day span for Clippers and Suns. Add their opening week matchup and these teams will clash in three of their first 10 games of the season
Oct. 24 In LA: Clippers win 129-102 behind a combined 57 points from Harden and Leonard
Nov. 6 In PHX: Suns respond with 115-102 win behind a combined 53 points from Green and Booker
Nov. 8 In LA: The rubber match from Intuit Dome on ESPN (10:30 ET)
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20 2020