By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The 2026–27 NBA Regular Season kicked into high gear on Friday night, blending early battles with the opening games of the Emirates NBA Cup 2026. Ten matchups lit up the scoreboard. However, none drew more headlines than the clash at Chase Center and the Golden State Warriors storming back from a 25-point deficit. After exploding for 21 points in the first quarter, Luka Doncic ended up with 37 but fell short for the Los Angeles Lakers in a 112–95 loss. The Slovenian superstar pulled down seven rebounds to go with five assists, two blocks and one steal. Georgian reserve Sandro Mamukelashvili made his presence felt on the glass and in passing lanes, cleaning up seven rebounds and snatching one block and one steal, alongside four points. For the Warriors, Dutch Malevy Leons was pinned to the bench until the last 17 seconds, after Stephen Curry reached 31 points with eight triples and some spicy moves on Doncic.
Meanwhile, Giannis Antetokounmpo proved entirely unstoppable at Kaseya Center. The Greek superstar marched his way to a second triple-double of the young season, powering the Miami Heat to pull away in the second half for a commanding 145–125 win over the Indiana Pacers. Dominated the paint and the perimeter alike, he logged 31 points on an ultra-efficient 13-of-18 from the field, including a smooth triple, to go alongside 17 rebounds, ten assists, and a block. Erik Spoelstra also enjoyed vital production from Swedish reserve Pelle Larsson, who added 18 points on a perfect 5-of-5 night. Italian Simone Fontecchio returned to the rotation after recovering from an illness to net three points, while Serbian Nikola Jovic went scoreless. Russian Vladislav Goldin was designated as inactive.
At Mortgage Matchup Center, the Denver Nuggets escaped with a thrilling 127–120 victory over the Phoenix Suns. With Nikola Jokic at 18 points on a precise 8-of-13 performance, Jamal Murray paved the way with 39 points and Christian Braun followed with career-high 31. The Serbian superstar played a steady facilitating role with ten assists to shape a double-double, alongside seven rebounds and three steals.
“We’re winning games. That’s important,” stressed the 31-year-old center in a postgame media session. “We are trying to do something differently, and I think sometimes we do it, sometimes we don’t do it. So we are in transition basically. But I think we want to do the right thing on the new thing, so I think we are going in the right direction.”
Franz Wagner double-double
Over at Scotiabank Arena, Germany’s Franz Wagner put together a magnificent all-around performance to guide the Orlando Magic past the Toronto Raptors, 121–114. He posted a 26-point, 11-assist double-double. Backup from countryman Tristan da Silva amounted to eight points, while fellow reserves, Montenegrin Nikola Vucevic and Georgian Goga Bitadze reached three and two points, respectively.
Under the direction of Serbian head coach Darko Rajakovic, Austrian starter Jakob Poeltl battled inside for a 12-point, 11-rebound double-double, while Scottie Barnes put on a heroic show, racking up a career-high 41 points. “I don’t really care about the numbers,” said 31-year-old Poeltl in his postgame press conference, downplaying his resurgence after a sluggish opening to the new season.
At TD Garden, the Boston Celtics constructed a massive 32-point cushion against the Chicago Bulls before taking their foot off the gas, ultimately settling for a 125–111 victory. Minutes before tipoff, the front office officially exercised their 2027–28 contract option on Hugo Gonzalez. Though the young Spanish reserve went scoreless, other European bench options stepped up. Portuguese Neemias Queta recorded 13 points, while Bosnian Luka Garza got five. British Amari Williams was an inactive scratch.
The Bulls found silver linings in their youth movement. Lithuanian starter Matas Buzelis logged 14 points and French reserve Noa Essengue reached ten.
French connections
Defense was the flavor of the night at Capital One Arena, where the Washington Wizards clamped down in the second half to top the Charlotte Hornets, 95–79. French starter Alex Sarr was limited to just three points, while his compatriot, Bilal Coulibaly, registered a lone point off the bench. On the wrong end, French starter Moussa Diabate drew up a 10-point, 12-rebound double-double, while German Dennis Schroder shook off right foot soreness with eight points and eight assists. Beyond the European starters, French reserve Tidjane Salaun scored six points, with Germany’s Christian Anderson Jr. at four, and fellow German Hannes Steinbach scoreless.
At Target Center, the Minnesota Timberwolves put together a solid team performance to route the visiting Los Angeles Clippers, 127–101. French starter Rudy Gobert locked down the paint, combining his nine points with 13 rebounds and defensive deterrence. Prior to the game, the Wolves used their 2027–28 contract option on French reserve Joan Beringer, who celebrated the news by scoring four points. For the Clips, Nick Martinelli of Italian heritage managed three points, but Spanish Baba Miller went scoreless.
With injuries to key European players on both rosters, the Dallas Mavericks edged out the Houston Rockets in a 116–111 thriller. French reserve Zaccharie Risacher flashed his immense potential by putting up 12 points for the Mavs, providing perfect complementary scoring alongside a scorching Kyrie Irving, who logged 35 points, and Cooper Flagg, who poured in 33 of his own. British Tobi Lawal remained on the bench. Missing the post presence of Alperen Sengun, Houston started Swiss Clint Capela, who did the dirty work to pair five points with 11 rebounds, while Serbian reserve Bogdan Bogdanovic finished with six points.
Fernandez, Nets fall to 0–5
Spanish head coach Jordi Fernandez struggled to find answers as the Detroit Pistons executed a brilliant second-half surge to take down the Brooklyn Nets, 110–94, at Barclays Center. French starter Nolan Traore got nine points, while German reserve Moritz Wagner fought hard to keep the game within reach, leading his team with 16 points, and Israeli reserve Danny Wolf provided an additional boost with nine points.
“When stuff doesn’t go our way, we kind of put our head down a little bit and lose our connectivity,” mentioned 29-year-old Wagner after his side was forced to 0–5, commenting on the Nets falling behind after a solid start. “We worked way too hard all summer and probably set a much higher standard than that for ourselves. It’s obviously a little disappointing. We got to get better at that.”
At Xfinity Mobile Arena, the Philadelphia 76ers dug deep to secure a 98–93 victory over the New York Knicks. Turkish Adem Bona saw brief action but went scoreless, while France’s Rayan Rupert did not play. For the defending champions, British OG Anunoby got the start and tallied nine points alongside his usual stellar perimeter defense, but their French connection in Pacome Dadiet and Mohamed Diawara remained unutilized.
Friday games
Washington Wizards – Charlotte Hornets 95-79
Brooklyn Nets – Detroit Pistons 94-110
Philadelphia 76ers – New York Knicks 98-93
Boston Celtics – Chicago Bulls 125-111
Toronto Raptors – Orlando Magic 114-121
Minnesota Timberwolves – Los Angeles Clippers 127-101
Miami Heat – Indiana Pacers 145-125
Dallas Mavericks – Houston Rockets 116-111
Phoenix Suns – Denver Nuggets 120-127
Golden State Warriors – Los Angeles Lakers 112-95
Regular Season standings
Eastern Conference
1. Detroit Pistons 5-1
2. Philadelphia 76ers 5-1
3. Boston Celtics 4-1
4. Toronto Raptors 3-2
5. Cleveland Cavaliers 3-2
6. Atlanta Hawks 3-3
7. Charlotte Hornets 3-3
8. Washington Wizards 3-3
9. Orlando Magic 2-3
10. Miami Heat 2-4
11. Indiana Pacers 2-4
12. New York Knicks 2-4
13. Milwaukee Bucks 1-4
14. Chicago Bulls 1-5
15. Brooklyn Nets 0-5
Western Conference
1. Memphis Grizzlies 5-0
2. Houston Rockets 5-1
3. Oklahoma City Thunder 4-1
4. Portland Trail Blazers 3-1
5. Dallas Mavericks 4-2
6. Los Angeles Lakers 4-2
7. Minnesota Timberwolves 4-2
8. Denver Nuggets 3-2
9. San Antonio Spurs 3-2
10. Golden State Warriors 3-3
11. Phoenix Suns 1-3
12. Utah Jazz 1-4
13. New Orleans Pelicans 1-4
14. Los Angeles Clippers 1-4
15. Sacramento Kings 0-5
-Top 6 teams in each conference advance directly to the Playoffs
-7th through 10th place teams in each conference qualify for the Play-In tournament
Cup standings
Eastern Conference
Group A
1. Detroit Pistons 1-0
2. Orlando Magic 1-0
3. Milwaukee Bucks 0-0
4. Brooklyn Nets 0-1
5. Toronto Raptors 0-1
Group B
1. Miami Heat 1-0
2. Philadelphia 76ers 1-0
3. Cleveland Cavaliers 0-0
4. Indiana Pacers 0-1
5. New York Knicks 0-1
Group C
1. Boston Celtics 1-0
2. Washington Wizards 1-0
3. Atlanta Hawks 0-0
4. Charlotte Hornets 0-1
5. Chicago Bulls 0-1
Western Conference
Group A
1. Dallas Mavericks 1-0
2. Denver Nuggets 1-0
3. Utah Jazz 0-0
4. Houston Rockets 0-1
5. Phoenix Suns 0-1
Group B
1. Minnesota Timberwolves 1-0
2. Oklahoma City Thunder 0-0
3. New Orleans Pelicans 0-0
4. Memphis Grizzlies 0-0
5. Los Angeles Clippers 0-1
Group C
1. Golden State Warriors 1-0
2. San Antonio Spurs 0-0
3. Portland Trail Blazers 0-0
4. Sacramento Kings 0-0
5. Los Angeles Lakers 0-1
-Top team from each group and the best second-placed team from each conference advance to the Quarterfinals
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