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Wanted to wish a Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate it! Enjoy the food and the time off if you get to take a break. Speaking of breaks, we won’t be sending the newsletter Thursday and Friday, as we take a little holiday break. But we’ll be right back at it on Monday! Gobble gobble!
NBA Cupdate!
The Lakers finally lost in the NBA Cup!
The NBA Cup has long been a place of safety for the Lakers. (By “long been” I mean they went undefeated in winning the In-Season Tournament championship last season, and they started out 2-0 in group play this year.) Last night, they faced the Suns, who have been going through their own struggle. After starting out 9-2, Phoenix lost its next five games as it tried to survive life without Kevin Durant (calf) and Bradley Beal (also a calf injury). The Suns got both KD and Beal back on the court last night in an effort to give the Lakers their first NBA Cup loss ever, which is exactly what happened.
Not only did the Suns give the Lakers their first In-Season Tournament loss ever – they obliterated L.A. and reminded everybody of what time it had been prior to the Durant injury. Phoenix won 127-100 thanks to a monster second half, outscoring the Lakers 65-40 in the final two quarters. They turned a competitive, fun battle into a laugher. KD and Beal each had 23 points on a combined 19-of-32 shooting from the field, and Devin Booker led them all with 26 points and 10 assists. Now, the Suns have taken a commanding position in their group.
Wait, you know what it sounds like? Time for an NBA Cupdate!
West Group B:
We know the Suns beat the Lakers. Guess what? The Spurs beat the Jazz 128-115 as they got 34 points, seven rebounds, six made 3-pointers and three blocks from Victor Wembanyama. That means we have a little clarity and a lot of confusion for this group.
- Group leader: Suns (2-1, plus-19) | Wins over UTA, LAL | Loss to OKC
- In the mix: Lakers (2-1, minus-16) | Wins over SAS, UTA | Loss to PHO
- In the mix: Spurs (2-1, plus-14) | Wins over OKC, UTA | Loss to LAL
- In the mix: Thunder (1-1, plus-10) | Win over PHO | Loss to SAS
- Eliminated: Jazz (0-3, minus-27)
- Important game(s) Friday? Thunder at Lakers
West Group A:
The Rockets went to overtime with the Timberwolves, but ended up winning 117-111 as Fred VanVleet led the way with 27 points and 11 assists. They also got 22 points, 11 assists, 10 rebounds, three steals, and three blocks from Alperen Şengün to overcome 29 points from Anthony Edwards. That clinches the group for Houston.
- Winner: Rockets (3-0, plus-49) | Wins over LAC, POR, MIN
- Wildcard hunt: Clippers (1-1, minus-5) | Win over SAC | Loss to HOU
- Wildcard hunt: Trail Blazers (1-1, minus-14) | Win over MIN | Loss to HOU
- Effectively out: Timberwolves (1-2, minus-14) | Win over SAC | Loss to POR, HOU
- Effectively out: Kings (0-2, minus-16) | Loss to MIN, LAC
- Important game(s) Friday? Clippers at Wolves, Kings at Blazers
West Group C:
There are only two teams active in this group still, which is starting to feel like a group chat of high school friends in which essentially just two people are keeping this thing populated and active with weekly texts. The Mavericks are in great position for the wildcard because of their point differential.
- Winner: Warriors (3-0, plus-12) | Wins over DAL, MEM, NOP
- Wildcard hunt: Mavericks (2-1, plus-41) | Wins over NOP, DEN | Loss to GSW
- Effectively out: Nuggets (1-2, plus-2), Win over MEM | Loss to DAL, NOP
- Effectively out: Grizzlies (0-2, minus-17) | Loss to DEN, GSW
- Officially eliminated: Pelicans (1-2, minus-38) | Win over DEN | Loss to GSW, DAL
- Important game(s) Friday? Pelicans at Grizzlies
The Last 24
No. 1 Kansas beats Cooper Flagg, No. 11 Duke
🏀 Duke loses again. The Blue Devils received an okay game from Cooper Flagg and a bad shooting night by Kon Knueppel to lose to top-ranked Kansas. Big ejection in it.
🏀 Khris Middleton is almost back. He recently went through five-on-five work in Bucks practice and will hopefully be back very soon. Eric Nehm has the info you need.
👀 Shoutout from Kevin Harlan. If you thought I wouldn’t include the GOAT announcer shouting me out on TNT, you are flat-out mistaken. Check it out!
🤝 Donovan Mitchell and the Cavaliers had a meeting that helped support their hot start. Sam Amick had the details.
📺 Don’t miss this game tonight. Knicks (10-7) at Mavericks (10-8), 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. Not the same without Luka Dončić, but still this should be a great game.
📺 National TV bringing it. Thunder (13-4) at Warriors (12-5), 10 p.m. ET on ESPN. Battle for the top of the West right here.
Chef Reactions Q&A!
Internet legend cooks up some answers
If you’ve been on Twitter, Instagram or TikTok in the last couple years, you’ve likely seen an awful cooking recipe get roasted by my guy Chef Reactions. He has amassed roughly six million followers across all platforms. He’s one of the funniest, quickest people on social media. And while he does celebrate some great cooking and baking efforts at times, this culinary guru is at his best when he’s watching a quirky recipe that can make anybody’s kitchen efforts look like a Wizards game.
With Thanksgiving hitting tomorrow, James Jackson and I asked the Croatian, internet sensation four NBA and food-related questions.
We’ve got Cedric “Cornbread” Maxwell, Nikola “Big Honey” Jokić and Channing “Buffet of Goodness” Frye. What’s the best food nickname and why?
Chef: All fantastic options. HOWEVER … my pick is my favorite player from when I was growing up: “The Waiter” Toni Kukoč. As a kid from a Croatian family, he was my lanky Eastern European idol. Rainbow 3s. Serving up assists. THE F—’ WAITER, DUDE. Also, I worked in restaurants, so I’m double biased.
Which three NBA players do you think would make the best chefs?
Chef: “Chef” Steph Curry is the obvious choice here, so he’s automatically in. I remember seeing a post about Kawhi Leonard cooking something up, so I’m going to put him in as Sous Chef. You need someone stoic who just puts their head down and gets s— done in a kitchen. Last but not least, I’m going with Dennis Rodman to neutralize Kawhi’s energy and be the loose cannon of the kitchen. It’s all about balance.
You’re setting up the perfect holiday dinner for a team. What are the worst dishes that would ruin it?
Chef: You have to go with the classics and avoid any sort of wild experimentation when it comes to the holidays. I feel like these dudes spend so much time on the road, eating at restaurants, in hotels, on a bus/plane, that they would want and appreciate some sense of normalcy and familiarity when it comes to special holiday meals. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Also: Brussels sprouts because they make people fart.
What are the Thanksgiving dishes you’re most dreading reacting to?
Chef: Nothing surprises me anymore. I did a video today where someone filled a whole turkey with Velveeta and then proceeded to bake it for ONE HOUR, so there’s that.
@chefreactions Be thankful you don’t have to eat this #chef #chefreactions #fyp #thanksgiving ♬ original sound – Chef Reactions
More Cupdate!
What you need to know for Friday
East Group A:
No action from this group last night, but we have a pretty important Friday lined up. The Magic are sitting strongly in the lead because of their massive point differential. This group will likely come down to the Knicks-Magic game on Tuesday, December 3.
- Group leader: Magic (2-0, plus-37) | Wins over CHO, PHI
- Right there: Knicks (2-0, plus-14) | Wins over PHI, BRK
- Effectively out: 76ers (1-2, minus-9) | Win over BRK | Loss to ORL, NYK
- Effectively out: Nets (1-2, minus-16) | Win over CHO | Loss to NYK, PHI
- Effectively out: Hornets (0-2, minus-26) | Loss to ORL, BRK
- Important game(s) Friday? Knicks at Hornets, Magic at Nets
East Group B:
The Bucks (sans Giannis Antetokounmpo) went into Miami and took down the Heat with a 106-103 victory. Damian Lillard finally busted out of his 3-point slump by scoring 37 points and hitting 8-of-13 shooting from deep. The Bucks can now clinch the group with a win over Detroit on Tuesday. The Pistons could still win out and shock the group by taking it.
- Group leader: Bucks (3-0, plus-29) | Wins over IND, TOR, MIA
- Right there: Pistons (2-0, plus-4) | Wins over MIA, TOR
- Effectively out: Heat (1-2, plus-10) | Win over IND | Loss to DET, MIL
- Effectively out: Pacers (0-2, minus-25) | Loss to MIA, MIL
- Officially eliminated: Raptors (0-2, minus-18) | Loss to MIL, DET
- Important game(s) Friday? Pistons at Pacers, Raptors at Heat
East Group C:
This is officially what we call a jumble. The Bulls beat down the Wizards 127-108 last night behind 21 points from Coby White and seven different Bulls in double figures. It moved the Bulls to the top of the group for now, and eliminated the Wizards from advancing. This group is too close to call.
- Group leader: Bulls (2-1, plus-15) | Wins over ATL, WAS | Loss to CLE
- Right there: Hawks (2-1, minus-1) | Wins over BOS, WAS | Loss to CHI
- Right there: Celtics (2-1, plus-14) | Win over CLE, WAS | Loss to ATL
- Right there: Cavaliers (1-1, plus-15) | Win over CHI | Loss to BOS
- Officially eliminated: Wizards (0-3, minus-43) | Loss to ATL, BOS, CHI
- Important game(s) Friday? Cavs at Hawks, Celtics at Bulls
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(Top photo: Contributor / XXXX )
