NBA Cup roundup: Hawks advance, SGA dents Lakers' hopes

The second annual in-season tournament resumed Friday with 10 games in group play. For an explanation of how the tourney works, tap here.

To see what happened during Tuesday's action, tap here.

Friday's results

• Knicks 99-98 Hornets
• Cavaliers 101-117 Hawks
• Pelicans 109-120 Grizzlies
• Magic 123-100 Nets
• Clippers 92-93 T-Wolves
• Pistons 130-106 Pacers
• Raptors 111-121 Heat
• Celtics 138-129 Bulls
• Thunder 101-93 Lakers
• Kings 106-115 Blazers

Check out our NBA scores page for box score recaps for each game and the NBA Cup tab on our NBA standings page for group standings.

Top performers

Franz Wagner (Magic): Orlando has relied on Wagner during Paolo Banchero's absence, and he's delivered beyond expectations. The Magic wing recorded 29 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists over the Brooklyn Nets, helping the squad improve to 11 wins over their last 12 games. He and Banchero together amount to a formidable threat in the Eastern Conference.

Payton Pritchard (Celtics): The reserve guard provided a spark during the fourth quarter, scoring 19 of his 29 points to push Boston past the Bulls. Pritchard added to an increasingly sizeable league lead in bench points with 296, further cementing his early case for Sixth Man of the Year. He also led the team with four offensive rebounds.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder): The Oklahoma City maestro was too much for the Lakers in one of his best all-around games of the season: 36 points, nine assists, six rebounds, two steals, and a block for good measure. Though his threes weren't falling (3-of-10), he was methodical in putting the defending NBA Cup champs away late, including a dagger trey with just over a minute-and-a-half left that sucked the life out of the L.A. arena.

Highlight of the night

Celtics star Jaylen Brown added to his ever-growing collection of memorable posters with a dunk on Bulls big man Jalen Smith, who unfortunately stood no chance in contesting the monstrous one-handed slam.

Tweet of the night

Forward Scottie Barnes had a comical reaction after earning a technical foul less than five minutes into the Raptors' loss to the Heat, mimicking crew chief Tre Maddox's signal. Barnes clearly didn't agree with the call.

Stat of the night

Exactly how much better have the Pistons been compared to last season? With Saturday's trouncing of the Pacers, they're now three months ahead of their winning pace from 2023-24. They didn't get win No. 9 last season until Feb. 27 - their last game of that month.

What's next

The Atlanta Hawks won East Group C, becoming the first team from the conference to qualify for the quarterfinals following their victory over the Cavaliers and the Bulls' loss to the Celtics.

Meanwhile, the defending champion Lakers aren't officially eliminated but it's not looking great for JJ Redick & Co. They can no longer finish atop West Group B, and their odds of advancing via the wild card are almost impossible with eight other teams now above them in the pecking order.

Tap the NBA Cup tab on our NBA standings page for the latest group standings.