NBA Cup 2025: Stephen Curry’s 49 points in the night overwhelm the Spurs, while the Clippers win in 2OT and the Pistons win their ninth consecutive place
The third night of play in the 2025 NBA Cup featured some high-caliber play in both the East and West as team play neared its midway point. But nothing was more epic than what Stephen Curry did.
We’re at the point where it feels like it will never get old watching the Golden State Warriors star come to life down the stretch. On Friday his victims were the San Antonio Spurs. The damage: 49 points on 16-for-26 shooting. In the process, he tied Michael Jordan for most 40-point games after turning 30, with his 44th.
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Only one other Warrior, Jimmy Butler, scored more than 10 points.
The Spurs had the Warriors on the ropes late in the fourth quarter with a 10-point lead, but that turned out to be the right situation. San Antonio had one last chance to win it, but a mistake by De’Aaron Fox sealed the game.
All West Group C teams are now 1-1 in group play, which is exactly the kind of chaos you want in group play.
The longest game of the night was in Dallas, where the Los Angeles Clippers overcame the still-outnumbered Dallas Mavericks in double overtime, thanks to a 41-point triple-double from James Harden. LA led by as many as 13 points in the fourth quarter, but a late-game collapse sent them into overtime.
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The game looked like it was going to end in the first overtime when Mavericks big man Daniel Gafford was called for a goaltend on Harden, but the NBA’s ball-tracking review found the ball was still rising.
It was simply a spectacular block.
This prevented Dallas from losing, but it didn’t save it. A team led by 28 points each by Naji Marshall and D’Angelo Russell off the bench fell behind early in double overtime and didn’t come back.
The other overtime game was an epic between the Milwaukee Bucks and Charlotte Hornets, in which eight different Bucks scored in double figures to counteract a pair of 32-point nights from Miles Bridges and rookie Kon Kneuppel, the latter of whom hit the game-tying 3-pointer to force OT.
However, like the Clippers’ win, the Bucks shook off the potential gut punch and won big in OT. They are now 10-0 in NBA bracket play in three years of the seasonal tournament. Assistant coach Darvin Ham, former head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, is also still undefeated overall, in one of the funniest tales of the event.
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NBA Cup 2025: schedule, format and new courts for this year’s seasonal tournament
Returning to the realm of games decided by regulation, the Detroit Pistons won their ninth straight with a 114-105 win over the Philadelphia 76ers, despite being without several key players.
Cade Cunningham (hip), Tobias Harris (ankle), Ausar Thompson (ankle) and Jalen Duren (ankle) were all on the sideline, but players like Javonte Green (21 points, nine rebounds) and Daniss Jenkins (19 points, eight assists) stepped up.
There was also the record-breaking game between the Miami Heat and New York Knicks. The Knicks won 140-132 with 39 points from probable hero Karl-Anthony Towns and 36 points from unlikely hero Landry Shamet off the bench.
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Norman Powell continued a career year with 38 points for Miami, but couldn’t keep New York from pulling away late.
Dunk of the night
The slam dunk of the night (Victor Wembanyama edition)
NBA Cup Night 3 scoreboard
NBA Cup standings
East Group A
Toronto Raptors (2-0, +23)
Cleveland Cavaliers (1-1, +23)
Indiana Pacers (0-1, -20)
Washington Wizards (0-1, -34)
East Group B
Detroit Pistons (2-0, +27)
Boston Celtics (1-1, -12)
Philadelphia 76ers (0-2, -10)
East C Group
Milwaukee Bucks (2-0, +16)
New York Knicks (1-1, -2)
Charlotte Hornets (0-2, -18)
West Group A
Minnesota Timberwolves (2-0, +54)
Oklahoma City Thunder (1-0, +31)
Sacramento Kings (0-2, -45)
West Group B
Los Angeles Lakers (2-0 +19)
Los Angeles Clippers (2-0, +2)
Memphis Grizzlies (1-1, +9)
New Orleans Pelicans (0-2, -14)
Dallas Mavericks (0-2, -16)
West Group C
Denver Nuggets (1-1, +23)
Houston Rockets (1-1, +13)
San Antonio Spurs (1-1, +10)
Portland Trail Blazers (1-1, -22)
Golden State Warriors (1-1, -24)