Pacers edge Knicks to deepen Cup trouble as Spurs overwhelm Warriors

The Indiana Pacers survived a late New York rally to win 106-104 on Friday, leaving the Knicks facing a difficult path in their NBA Cup title defence. Elsewhere, the San Antonio Spurs dominated the Golden State Warriors 123-85, while the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Clippers also recorded victories.

New York dropped to 0-2 in Cup competition after failing to complete a comeback from 14 points down in the third quarter. Although qualification remains mathematically possible, no team in the tournament’s three previous editions has advanced to the knockout stage after losing twice in group play. The Knicks won last year’s Cup before claiming their first NBA championship since 1973.

Playing again without injured star Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana spread its scoring across several contributors. Pascal Siakam led with 19 points, followed by Aaron Nesmith with 18 and Kelly Oubre Jr with 16. Ivica Zubac and Andrew Nembhard each supplied 12. The Pacers also held a substantial advantage inside, outscoring New York 50-30 in the paint.

Jalen Brunson finished with 33 points and 11 assists for the Knicks, who drew level at 87-87 early in the final quarter. Indiana responded with a 15-2 burst, but New York fought back to within two points. Karl-Anthony Towns, who had 23 points and 15 rebounds, missed a shot that could have tied the game with nine-tenths of a second left.

Pacers coach Rick Carlisle praised his players for staying united as New York challenged them after halftime. “Our guys stuck together and kept fighting together,” he said. The Knicks sit bottom of East Group B, with home games against the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat remaining on their group schedule.

Miami moved to the top of that group at 2-0 by beating Cleveland 133-121. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo each scored 37 points, with Adebayo also collecting 14 rebounds. Davion Mitchell contributed 22 points and 17 assists as the Heat brought their overall season record to 6-6.

San Antonio, beaten by New York in both last year’s Cup final and the NBA Finals, improved to 2-0 in this year’s Cup with its 11th consecutive victory. Stephon Castle scored 32 points against Golden State, while Victor Wembanyama recorded 12 points and 12 rebounds. The Spurs scored the first 18 points and stretched their lead to as much as 43 against a Warriors side missing injured star Stephen Curry.

LJ Cryer paced Golden State with 20 points, while every Warriors starter finished below double figures. Draymond Green scored four points and received a flagrant foul midway through the second quarter after shoving Wembanyama from behind and sending him out of bounds.

The Clippers closed the night with a 113-112 win over Oklahoma City, moving to 1-1 in the Cup and 3-8 overall. Darius Garland delivered the decisive three-point play with less than a minute left, tying the score with a layup before making the resulting free throw. Brook Lopez scored 11 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter. Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning two-time MVP, finished with 40 points but missed two attempts in the closing seconds.