The New York Knicks are last in their NBA Cup group. The defending champions fell to 0-2 in group play on Friday night with a 106-104 loss to the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, and no team with two losses in group play has reached the knockout rounds since the tournament began in 2023. The Pacers, still playing without Tyrese Haliburton because of a left hamstring strain, held off a late Knicks rally to win the game at the buzzer.
Pascal Siakam scored 19 points and Aaron Nesmith added 18 to lead Indiana. Kelly Oubre Jr. scored 16, and Ivica Zubac had 12 points and 13 rebounds, while Andrew Nembhard added 12. All five Indiana starters finished in double figures. Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 33 points and 11 assists, Karl-Anthony Towns had 23 points and 15 rebounds, and Mikal Bridges added 18.
How the NBA Cup loss unfolded in Indianapolis
Siakam’s 15-foot jumper with 1:49 remaining in the NBA Cup game gave Indiana a 106-98 lead, and the Knicks still nearly stole the game. Brunson’s driving layup cut the lead to 106-102 with 26 seconds left. Siakam was fouled, but he missed both free throws with 23 seconds left. Bridges scored to slice the lead to two points with 10 seconds to go, and the Pacers turned the ball over with 2.8 seconds left. Towns took the entry pass near the low block, and his turnaround fadeaway just before the buzzer came off the rim.
The Knicks had fought back from 14 points down late in the third quarter and tied the game early in the fourth, but Indiana answered with a run and held off one last push in the final minute. Towns recorded his 12th straight double-double, breaking Willis Reed’s franchise record for consecutive double-doubles to start a season. Nesmith, who had been limited to 21 minutes on Wednesday against Washington because of right knee soreness, was declared available earlier on Friday.
The NBA Cup standings after Friday night
The loss leaves New York at the bottom of East Group B at 0-2, behind Cleveland, Miami, Philadelphia and Indiana. The Pacers moved to 1-1 in group play, though their point differential sits at minus-18 after the way the lead shrank in the final minute. The Knicks won the NBA Cup last December, beating the Spurs in the final, and went on to win the NBA Finals in the same season. No team with two losses in group play has reached the knockout rounds since the tournament began in 2023, so the Knicks face a steep climb in the games that remain.
The NBA Cup group stage continues through November 27, with the quarterfinals on December 4 and 5 and the semifinals on December 8 and 9. The final is set for December 11 at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Knicks have two group games left on the schedule, against Cleveland on November 25 and Miami on November 27, and both are now games they cannot afford to lose.
The Spurs’ NBA Cup rout in San Antonio
The night’s other NBA Cup game was no contest. Stephon Castle scored a season-high 32 points as the San Antonio Spurs rolled past the Golden State Warriors 123-85 at Frost Bank Center, winning their 11th straight game and staying unbeaten in NBA Cup play. Victor Wembanyama had 12 points and 12 rebounds in 21 minutes, Keldon Johnson added 18 points, and Harrison Barnes scored 11.
San Antonio scored the first 10 points and led 38-14 after the first quarter, with Golden State shooting 5 for 25 from the field. The Spurs led by 30 at halftime and by 43 in the third quarter, and Wembanyama sat out the fourth quarter with the game decided. The Warriors played without Stephen Curry, who is out with a right oblique tear, and lost their second game in a row after an eight-game winning streak. Draymond Green was called for a flagrant 1 foul in the second quarter for a push that sent Wembanyama sliding along the baseline.
The Spurs improved to 11-2 on the season and 2-0 in the NBA Cup. They visit the Utah Jazz on Sunday with the winning streak still running. The Warriors fell to 1-1 in group play, and their next test comes with Curry still out and the schedule offering no break.