The Golden State Warriors engineered a historic comeback on Friday night, overcoming an early 25-point deficit to defeat the Los Angeles Lakers 112-95 in an NBA Cup matchup.
Stephen Curry led the charge for Golden State with 31 points, six assists, and four rebounds. During the fourth quarter, Curry surpassed Dominique Wilkins (26,668 points) to claim 18th place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. Brandin Podziemski contributed 21 points, while De’Anthony Melton and Georges Niang added 16 and 11 points off the bench, respectively.
Luka Doncic powered the Lakers with a game-high 37 points, seven rebounds, and five assists, exploding for 21 points in a dominant first quarter that gave Los Angeles a 38-15 lead. However, the Warriors mirrored that score in the second quarter (38-15) to level the game by halftime, marking the first time in the shot clock era that a team trailed by 23 or more points after one quarter and managed to tie or lead at the half.
Golden State’s dominant turnaround sealed the largest margin of victory in the shot clock era for any team that previously trailed by 20 or more points at the end of the first period.
In another Friday night NBA Cup group game, the Philadelphia 76ers secured a 98-93 victory over the New York Knicks.
LeBron James delivered his strongest performance of the season for Philadelphia, tallying 20 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists—including a crucial go-ahead fadeaway basket late in the game. Tyrese Maxey led the 76ers with 27 points, while V.J. Edgecombe sealed the win with an insurance three-pointer.
Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 24 points, and Karl-Anthony Towns added 22, but Philadelphia held on to improve to 5-1 on the young season despite missing Jaylen Brown due to left knee soreness.