Starting 5: Friday fireworks in Emirates NBA Cup

Jared McCain’s hot hand is rewriting rookie record books, and he wasn’t the only one who made history during Friday’s Cup Night.

THE LINEUP 🏀
Nov. 23, 2024 | What’s inside today’s edition?
Drama In Denver: The Joker delivers an ace in his return, but Dallas gets the dub in crunch time
A Statement & A Show: Giannis erupts again, while McCain catches fire from deep
Friday Roundup: The Warriors win West Group C, the Rockets soar and more
Scorching Stars Collide: A red-hot Joker faces LeBron and AD in a Playoff rematch
Ladder Look-In: One month into the season, who stands atop the Kia MVP Ladder?
BUT FIRST … ⏰
A look at the Emirates NBA Cup standings following Friday’s action…

Emirates NBA Cup Group Play is past its midpoint, with 34 of the 60 games in the books following Friday. After Golden State clinched West Group C, only seven spots in the Knockout Rounds remain.
A Non-Stop Saturday Slate: Seven games tip off today, headlined by a stacked tripleheader on NBA TV. First, the surging Knicks will look to extend their win streak to five games as they take on the Jazz (5 ET). Then, Zach LaVine and the Bulls will host the Grizzlies (8 ET).
To cap the night, Nikola Jokić and the Nuggets will travel to Los Angeles to face LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the Lakers in a must-see Playoff rematch (10:30 ET).
1. MAVS OVERCOME JOKIĆ’S 5TH STRAIGHT TRIPLE-DOUBLE

Last time Nikola Jokić played, the 3-time MVP and habitual history-maker became the first NBA player ever to notch 37+ points, 18+ rebounds and 15+ assists in a game.
The Nov. 10 masterpiece gave Joker his fourth straight triple-double and sent the Nuggets over the reigning Western Conference champ Mavericks, 122-120.
On Friday — in his very next outing after missing the past three games — the reigning Kia NBA MVP returned and made more history against the Mavs. This time though, Dallas walked away with the win.
Mavericks 123, Nuggets 120 (West Group C): In another dazzling performance, Jokić tallied his fifth straight triple-double with 33 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists, igniting a 24-point comeback that gave Denver its first lead of the game with 5:34 left in the 4th quarter.
But Dallas never blinked, and P.J. Washington sparked a 15-7 run to close the game, capped by a pair of free throws from both him and Kyrie Irving in the final 10 seconds to seal a gutsy win in Denver. | Recap | Watch The WILD Ending
Despite being without Luka Dončić for the past three games, Dallas has won four in a row and improved to 2-1 in Group Play

” said Irving. “We all stepped up at the right time, and we gutted out this win.”

Although the Nuggets fell short, Jokić’s fifth-straight triple-double — a feat he had never reached before — added a new chapter to an unprecedented individual run, not just for the three-time Kia MVP, but in NBA history.
said Nuggets coach Michael Malone postgame. “But we as a collective unit, myself included, didn’t get the job done.”
2. THE GREEK FREAK GOES OFF, MCCAIN MAKES HISTORY

Eleven months ago, the Pacers beat the Bucks in the Emirates NBA Cup Semifinals to let the league know, “It’s our time.”
In the 2024 Playoffs, Indiana ousted Milwaukee again on its way to its first East Finals appearance in a decade.
But on Friday, it was the surging Bucks who made a statement, with Giannis Antetokounmpo leading the charge.
Bucks 129, Pacers 117 (East Group B): Giannis steamrolled his way to 37 points, 10 boards and 11 assists, marking his second triple-double in four outings, while Damian Lillard tallied 24 points and a season-high 13 dimes to secure the Bucks’ fifth victory in six games with a wire-to-wire win. | Recap
Just how dominant was the Greek Freak on Friday? This
just about sums it up

Fifteen players were selected ahead of Jared McCain in the 2024 NBA Draft.
But he’s No. 1 on the Kia Rookie Ladder for a reason.
McCain dropped 30 points on six 3s as he and Tyrese Maxey (26 pts) combined for 37 of Philly’s 60 points in the 2nd half to rally the Sixers past Cameron Johnson (season-high 37 pts, 9 3s) and the Nets for a 113-98 win in East Group A. | Recap
In his five career starts, McCain has hit 24 3s — the most by any player in their first five career starts in league history
3. FRIDAY ROUNDUP: DUBS CLINCH, ROCKETS ROLL & MORE

Warriors 112, Pelicans 108 (West Group C): Andrew Wiggins led the Dubs in scoring for a second straight game with 30 points, including one bucket from an absurd full-court dish from Steph Curry (19 pts, 7 ast), who helped Golden State stave off the Pels to improve to 3-0 in Group Play. | Recap
The win also improves the Warriors to 12-3 on the season, marking their best 15-game start since 2021-22, when they went on to win it all
Celtics 108, Wizards 96 (East Group C): One day after celebrating their 2024 NBA title at the White House, Boston was all business in Washington. Jaylen Brown netted a game-high 31 points while Jayson Tatum and Jrue Holiday scored 16 apiece to pull away from the Wizards, marking the C’s fourth straight W. | Recap

Houston doesn’t have a problem — Houston is a problem.
Rockets 116, Blazers 88 (West Group A): Dillon Brooks scored a season-high 28 points while matching a career-high with six 3s and the Rockets never trailed in the 2nd half to notch their seventh win in eight games, improving to 12-5 on the season and 2-0 in Group Play. | Recap
Clippers 104, Kings 88 (West Group A): James Harden posted 22 points and nine assists as LA rattled off a 20-1 run in the 1st quarter and never looked back to beat De’Aaron Fox (29 pts, 7 ast) and the Kings for their first Group Play win. | Recap
Bulls 136, Hawks 122 (East Group C): Zach LaVine scored a game-high 26 points, Ayo Dosunmu and Coby White finished with 20 apiece and the Bulls knocked down 19 3s to outpace Trae Young (25 pts, 13 ast) and the Hawks, handing Atlanta (2-1) its first Group Play loss. | Recap
4. LAKERS-NUGGETS PLAYOFF REMATCH HIGHLIGHTS NBA TV TRIPLEHEADER

The last time the Nuggets and Lakers met was in the first round of the 2024 Playoffs, when Denver ended Los Angeles’ season for the second straight year.
Since the 2022-23 campaign, the Nuggets are 8-1 against the Lakers in the Playoffs and 5-2 in the regular season for a total record of 13-3.
In their first meeting of 2024-25, a red-hot LeBron James and Anthony Davis will look to flip the script against a scorching Nikola Jokić as the two sides cap Saturday’s tripleheader on NBA TV (10:30 ET).

Knicks at Jazz (5 ET): To open Saturday’s tripleheader, Lauri Markkanen and the Jazz will look to slow down Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and the Knicks’ potent offense.
Wednesday also marked the 11th game this season in which all five Knick starters scored in double figures, which leads the NBA
Grizzlies at Bulls (8 ET): In primetime, Jaren Jackson Jr. and the Grizzlies will look to notch a second straight win as they visit Zach LaVine and the Bulls in an early season rematch.
Desmond Bane and Jackson combined for 49 points for Memphis, which is averaging a league-high 58.5 points in the paint this season
Four more games get underway on League Pass, beginning with Jaden Ivey and the Pistons traveling to Orlando to face Franz Wagner and the Magic, who are 7-0 at home.

5. KIA MVP LADDER LOOK-IN: WHICH STARS LEAD THE PACK?

The chase for the Emirates NBA Cup is heating up, and so is the race for some individual hardware.
Now that we’re officially one month (and a day) into the NBA season, let’s check in on which three players stand atop the Kia MVP Ladder.
And Spoiler Alert: Two of them will square off tonight on NBA TV.
1. Nikola Jokić (Nuggets): The three-time and reigning Kia MVP holds the top spot for the second straight week. In addition to his five-straight triple-doubles and league-high seven on the season, Jokić is posting career-highs in points (30.0), rebounds (14.0), assists (11.5), minutes (38.2) and 3-point percentage (58.5%).

2. Jayson Tatum (Celtics): After sinking a game-winning 3 at the buzzer to beat Toronto on Saturday, Tatum led the C’s with 33 points, 12 boards and seven dimes to knock off the previously unbeaten Cavs on Tuesday. With Boston at 13-3, JT leads the team in points (29.1), rebounds (8.2) and assists (6.1).
3. Anthony Davis (Lakers): Up two spots from last week, Davis is averaging a career-high in points (31.3), field goals (10.9), field goal percentage (57.3%) and 3-point percentage (43.3%). He’s eclipsed 30+ points and 12+ boards in three of his last four games, including performances of 40 and 39 points.