Starting 5: Raptors Clinch, Suns, Thunder & Blazers Rally, Flagg Shines As Mavs Survive

Dancing into the Knockouts.

By clinching East Group A, Toronto became the first team to punch its ticket out of Group Play and into the Knockout Rounds of the 2025 Emirates NBA Cup.

5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀

Nov. 22, 2025

Raptors Advance: Toronto becomes the first team to reach the Knockouts

Friday Comebacks: Suns, Thunder & Blazers all rally for critical Cup victories

3-Point Wins: Mavs take dual-elimination game with NOLA, Nuggets outlast Rockets

East Roundup: Heat offense sizzles in Chicago, Nets survive elimination in Boston

Saturday Preview: One key story to know entering each of today’s seven games

BUT FIRST … ⏰

A full Saturday of hoops awaits…

Exclusive Weekend Streaming Access: Today through Sunday are NBA ID Member Days, where fans in the U.S. with NBA IDs can stream League Pass on us. Not an NBA ID member yet? Tap here to join now.

Day-To-Night Hoops: A full 12 hours of basketball is on tap today, including an NBA TV doubleheader – Knicks at Magic (5 ET, Tap To Watch) and Pistons at Bucks (8 ET, Tap To Watch). We’ve got all seven games covered in Section 5.

1. RAPTORS PUNCH FIRST TICKET TO KNOCKOUT ROUNDS

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The last time the Raptors started a season this strongly (11-5), they were the defending NBA champs.

With their third Cup win Friday (and sixth straight overall) aligning with a Pacers loss, they’re this year’s first team to advance past Group Play.

Raptors 140, Wizards 110 (East A): Brandon Ingram (8 reb, 6 ast, 2 stl) and RJ Barrett (8 reb, 4 ast) each scored 24 points to lead four 20+ point Toronto scorers in their ninth win of the month, clinching Group A. | Recap

• What It Means: 3-0 Toronto (+53) moves on to the Knockout Round for the team’s first time, and makes Indy’s loss the first elimination of the tournament.
• Level Up: Toronto’s 19+ point trio of Ingram (21.1 ppg), Barrett (19.6 ppg) and Scottie Barnes (19.4 ppg, 23 pts Friday) all scored over 20 in the same game for the first time
• “Let’s keep winning, go to Vegas, it’d be great,” Barnes said with a smile postgame. “We know what this team can bring to the table every night.”

Minutes earlier in Cleveland, Donovan Mitchell and crew put the Pacers’ 2025 Cup journey in jeopardy.

Cavs 120, Pacers 109 (East A): Andrew Nembhard’s career-high 32 points and 47 more from Pascal Siakam (26) and Bennedict Mathurin (21) wasn’t enough to overcome Mitchell (32 pts, 9 reb, 5 ast) and three more Cavs with 20+ points. | Recap

• What It Means: With Toronto’s win clinching Group A, the Pacers (0-2, -31) are eliminated from Knockout contention. Cleveland (2-1, +33) remains in contention for the East’s Wild Card spot
• Big Halves: For the 3rd time in nine days and league-best 9th time overall, Mitchell had 20 points in a 2nd half
• Team 20+: Evan Mobley (12 reb, 5 blk) added 22 points, with 20 apiece from De’Andre Hunter (7 reb, 2 stl, 3 3s) and Darius Garland (7 ast, 3 3s), in his first game since Nov. 10 (toe)

2. COMEBACKS: SUNS STUN WOLVES, THUNDER TUNE OUT JAZZ, BLAZERS BLAST WARRIORS

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In a game that saw both teams go on big runs – Phoenix led by 18 in the 1st half, Minnesota rallied back and led by eight with a minute left – it was Phoenix who made the critical final push in the last minute to stun Minnesota and remain unbeaten in Group Play.

Suns 114, Wolves, 113 (West A): Trailing by eight with under a minute to play, the Suns closed the game on a 9-0 run, capped off by Colin Gillespie’s tough floater with 6.4 seconds remaining to lift Phoenix to the win. | Recap | Thrilling Finish

With Phoenix’s top two scorers this season – Devin Booker (27.1 ppg) and Dillon Brooks (21.0) – having fouled out, the Suns put the ball in Gillespie’s hands and he delivered.

• What Happened: How do you turn an eight-point deficit into a one-point win in under 60 seconds? By turning up the defense as Phoenix forced three straight turnovers and struck quickly on offense to capitalize on Minnesota’s miscues
• What It Means: Behind a combined 42 points and four 3s apiece from Gillespie and Booker, the Suns improved to 2-0 in Group Play, while the Wolves fell to 2-1 (+53 diff) despite Edwards’ second 40+ game of the season (41 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast, 4 stl, 5 3pm)

Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images

Utah led by as many as 18 in the 1st half and went into halftime holding a 68-67 lead over the defending champs. Then, OKC’s defense happened. And everything quickly changed.

Thunder 144, Jazz 112 (West A): The Thunder held the Jazz to 20 points in the 3rd quarter and 24 in the 4th as they dominated the 2nd half (77-44), resulting in a 32-point win to improve to 16-1 on the season and remain unbeaten in Group Play. | Recap

• Closing Time: Trailing by seven with 7:20 left in the 3rd quarter, the Thunder outscored the Jazz 33-4 to end the frame and take control. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 12 of his game-high 31 during that stretch
• Team Effort: SGA led eight Thunder players in double figures, while OKC’s defense made it 15 straight games without allowing a 30+ point scorer as Lauri Markkanen (30.6 ppg entering Friday) was held to 19 points
• What It Means: With the win, the Thunder (+63) improve to 2-0 in Group Play and hold the point differential tiebreaker over the fellow 2-0 Suns (+23). With the loss, the Jazz (0-3) were eliminated from the Knockouts

Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images

With 6:27 left in the 3rd quarter, the Warriors had overcome an early deficit to lead by 11 with Steph Curry sitting on 27 points and six 3s. Just when it looked like Golden State was in control, the Blazers flipped the game with a 30-12 run over the next 10-and-a-half minutes.

Blazers 127, Warriors 123 (West C): Portland got a combined 94 points from Deni Avdija (26 pts, career-high 13 ast), Caleb Love (26 pts, 7 reb, 5 ast), Donovan Clingan (22 pts, 10 reb) and Toumani Camara (20 pts, 4 3pm) as the Blazers’ balance was enough to counter Curry’s game-high 38 with nine 3s. | Recap

• What It Means: With the win, the Blazers (2-1, -18) take first place in the group over the Nuggets (2-1, +23), whom they beat head-to-head. Meanwhile, the Warriors (1-2, -28) dropped to fifth in the group

3. TIGHT FINISHES OUT WEST: MAVS SURVIVE ELIMINATION, NUGGETS OUTLAST ROCKETS

The first double-elimination game of the 2025 Emirates NBA Cup was a pressurized fight till the final possession, with 10 lead changes and 8 ties in the 4th quarter.

Mavericks 118, Pelicans 115 (West B): Naji Marshall’s clutch 3 with under a minute to play preserved Cooper Flagg’s historic career best, as Dallas stayed alive and eliminated NOLA despite four 20+ point Pels. | Recap

• King’s Company: Flagg’s career-high 29 points, along with 7 rebounds and 5 assists makes him the 2nd-youngest all-time to record a 25/5/5 game, behind only LeBron
• More Legends: Coop’s fifth 20+ point outing before the age of 19 moves him past Kobe for second-most all-time, again trailing only LeBron
• Rookie Reunion: Flagg’s high school teammate Derik Queen (20 pts, 7 reb, career-high 11 ast) joined Chris Paul and Darren Collison as the only Pels rookies with a 20+ point, 10+ ast, 5+ rebound game
• What It Means: The Mavs (1-2, -11) remain in the hunt for the West Wild Card, while the Pels (0-3, -19) fail to return to the Knockout Round in consecutive years

The highly anticipated clash of top offenses became a defensive battle, with Denver’s fourth-rated D holding Houston to a season-low 109 points.

Nuggets 112, Rockets 109 (West C): Jamal Murray scored 14 of his 26 points in the 4th quarter, teaming with leading scorer Nikola Jokić (34 pts, 10 reb, 9 ast) to overcome KD (13 pts) and Alperen Sengun (14 pts, 5 reb, 6 ast) and clip Houston’s 5-game win streak. | Recap

• Rocket Reed: Sheppard hit four 1st half triples for 20 points on the way to a career-high 27 to lead Houston
• Assist Unicorns: Jokić and Sengun didn’t look on these two dimes, but you have to see them
• “We were really focused at the end,” said Jokić postgame, reliant on their top defense and clutch free-throw shooting (9-10 in the 4th)
• What It Means: The 2-1 Nuggets (+26) are second in the group, while the 1-2 Rockets (+10) drop to 4th

4. HEAT SIZZLE IN CHI-TOWN, NETS STAVE OFF ELIMINATION

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Check out Miami’s scoring average – and league ranking – over the past four seasons:

• 109.5 ppg (30th) in 2022-23
• 110.1 ppg (26th) in 2023-24
• 110.6 ppg (24th) in 2024-25
• 124.8 ppg (1st) in 2025-26 after Friday night’s win in Chicago

Heat 143, Bulls 107 (East C): The Heat’s surge in offense continued on Friday as they put up 140+ points for a league-high fourth time this season to race past the Bulls, with Kel’el Ware (20 pts, 14 reb) and Norm Powell (19 pts) leading eight Heat players in double figures. | Recap

• Been There, Done That: The Heat and Bulls are familiar with each other in high-stakes games. Miami has eliminated Chicago in each of the past three SoFi NBA Play-In Tournaments, keeping the Bulls out of the postseason
• What It Means: The Bulls fall to 1-2 (-42) in Group Play, but avoid elimination. Meanwhile, the Heat improve to 2-1 (+46) and sit in 2nd place in both East Group C (behind 2-0 Milwaukee) and the East Wild Card (behind 2-0 Orlando)

Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images

Nets 113, Celtics 105 (East B): On Tuesday, the Celtics came to Brooklyn and beat the Nets for the 9th straight time. On Friday, the Nets returned the favor as they walked out of TD Garden in Boston with their first win over the Celtics since March 2023. | Recap

• How It Happened: Behind Michael Porter Jr.’s 33 points and Nic Claxton’s first career triple-double (18 pts, 11 reb, 12 ast), Brooklyn led by as many as 18 and held off Jaylen Brown (26 pts), Anfernee Simons (23 pts) and Boston in the 4th
• What It Means: The Nets (1-2, -17) avoided elimination from the Knockouts, while handing the Celtics (1-2, -20) their second straight Group Play loss

5. FULL DAY OF HOOPS ON US FOR NBA ID MEMBERS

Just over one month into the season, we’ve seen high-scoring games, record breaking stats, and more… And you can tap into all of it this weekend, on us.

In celebration of NBA ID Member Days this weekend, where fans in the U.S. with NBA IDs can stream League Pass games on us, we’re looking at the quick keys to every matchup of this full day of hoops.

Clippers at Hornets (1 ET): Two teams looking to end recent skids (three straight losses for LA, four for Charlotte) will turn to their high-powered offenses. James Harden and Hornets standout rookie Kon Knueppel both rank in the top-10 in 3-pointers.

Knicks at Magic (5 ET, NBA TV): Two of the East’s hottest teams meet as Orlando is finding its magic even without Paolo Banchero (groin), winning five of its last six games. The Magic delivered New York its first home loss of the season back on Nov. 12. Now both look to win their 8th in the last 11 games.

Hawks at Pelicans (7 ET): No East team has more wins against West opponents so far this season than Atlanta’s five. The Hawks will look to make it six when they visit a Pelicans squad looking to end an eight-game skid. Leading scorers and stat-stuffing forwards Jalen Johnson and Zion Williamson face off, as Nickeil Alexander-Walker comes off a career-high 38 points on eight triples.

Wizards at Bulls (8 ET): Coby White’s return (26.0 ppg in two games) has Chicago recapturing some of the spark that ignited its 6-1 start to the season. On the heels of a tough loss to Miami last night, the Bulls take on a Wizards club that’s dropped 13 straight since starting 1-1.

Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images

Pistons at Bucks (8 ET, NBA TV): A 12th straight win for East-leading Detroit would equal its best streak since its 2004 championship season. But the Pistons face a tall task in a Bucks squad that’s won the last 13 meetings of this series. Detroit broke four similar 10+ game losing streaks last season, defeating the likes of the Knicks (16), Celtics (12), Cavs (12) and Clippers (10).

Grizzlies at Mavs (8:30 ET): Memphis set a franchise record with 42 assists in a Thursday win over Sacramento without co-leading scorers Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. (17.9 pts each). Dallas will lean on Cooper Flagg, coming off a career-high performance, in a match up of top rookies with Cedric Coward.

Kings at Nuggets (10 ET): Nikola Jokić has been dominant against the Kings in two prior victories this season, averaging 34.5 points on 73.2% shooting, with 11.0 rebounds and 10.5 assists. Domantas Sabonis’ absence (knee) could mean another big night for the Joker as the Kings fight to stop an eight-game skid.