NBA Cup 2026: Defending champ Knicks fall to Sixers, again, in first night of play

The New York Knicks opened their NBA title defense with a loss to the Philadelphia 76ers . They began their NBA Cup title defense the same way on Friday.

The first night of 2026 NBA Cup play saw the defending champions once again fall to Philadelphia, this time by a score of 98-93. The Sixers ultimately prevailed despite the absence of Jaylen Brown due to patellar tendinopathy .

New York nearly pulled off a double-digit comeback in the fourth quarter, taking the lead at one point. However, the Sixers immediately responded with five straight points, capped off by a 3-pointer from VJ Edgecombe.

Tyrese Maxey led the Sixers with 27 points on 10-of-19 shooting, while James wasn't far from a triple-double with 20 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists. Anfernee Simons added 21 points on 11 shots off the bench.

Beyond the NBA Cup, the loss continues a rough start for New York, whose overall record is now 2-4. And now they're 0-1 in Cup play, in a group that also includes the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers.

The Knicks also lost their NBA Cup opener last season, but won the next three games to earn first place in their group. They defeated the San Antonio Spurs in the championship game, then went on to win their first NBA Finals in 53 years.

The Los Angeles Lakers began their game against the Golden State Warriors on a 40-15 run, with Luka Dončić clearly trying to make an example of Yaxel Lendeborg after their previous run in . When the Lakers star subbed out to begin the second quarter, he was already at 25 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds and 2 steals.

And then the Warriors outscored the Lakers by 42 for the rest of the game, which ended as a 112-95 Golden State win. As for Dončić, well, let's just say Stephen Curry had a response for him.

One of the closest finishes of the night was between the Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets, with Cooper Flagg delivering the dagger after trailing for much of the second half.

That game-sealing shot was part of a 33-point, 9-rebound, 6-assists night for Flagg, who turns 20 on Dec. 21. With that statline, he joins Luka Dončić as the only teenagers in NBA history to record three straight 25-5-5 games . That's a bittersweet stat for Mavericks fans.

Kyrie Irving actually led Dallas in scoring, posting 35 points on 12-of-19 shooting.

Does this kick below the belt constitute both unnecessary and excessive contact? The officials decided it did, hitting Phoenix Suns star Dillon Brooks with a flagrant 2 foul for a kick to Jamal Murray's groin.

The Suns broadcast… disagreed with the decision .

That decision wound up being rather important, as the Denver Nuggets went on to win 127-120 behind a 39-point game from Murray. Brooks exited with 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting.

AJ Dybantsa has looked plenty comfortable early in his NBA career. So have the Washington Wizards for that matter.

The Wizards blew out the Charlotte Hornets 95-79, with their new big 3 all filling out the stat sheet. Dybantsa, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2026 NBA Draft, had 17 points on 11 shots and 7 rebounds in his home debut, while Anthony Davis led all scorers with 25 points and 13 rebounds.

Trae Young added 21 points, 9 assists, 6 rebounds and 3 assists.

More notable was the Wizards' team defense, which held Charlotte to 29.7% shooting from the floor. It was the first time Washington held a team to below 80 points since March 9, 2015 .