NBA Cup Opens: 76ers Edge Knicks 98-93, Celtics Win Big

The NBA Cup opened Friday night with 10 group games, and the confirmed early finals in the East set the tone: Philadelphia 76ers 98, New York Knicks 93; Boston Celtics 125, Chicago Bulls 111; Detroit Pistons 110, Brooklyn Nets 94; and Orlando Magic 121, Toronto Raptors 114. The late West games were still in progress when these finals were confirmed, and this report covers only games marked final by two sources. Washington's win over Charlotte on the same Cup night is covered in a separate Orbit Post report.

76ers 98, Knicks 93

Philadelphia held off New York in Philadelphia in a rematch of the marquee regular season opener, between the defending NBA champion and defending NBA Cup champion Knicks and the new-look 76ers, USA Today reported in its Cup opening night coverage. The 76ers improved to 5-1 and the Knicks fell to 2-4. The result carries the longest shadow of the night: New York arrived holding both the league title and the Cup title, and it leaves the first Cup night with a losing record.

The other confirmed finals

Boston beat Chicago 125-111, a final confirmed on USA Today's updated Cup scoreboard after the Celtics led big through three quarters. Detroit stayed hot at 5-1 with a 110-94 win at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, leaving the Nets winless at 0-5. Orlando won 121-114 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto; the Magic improved to 2-3 and the Raptors fell to 3-2.

Boston's win had the widest margin of control among the confirmed finals. The Celtics led Chicago 99-74 at the end of the third quarter in USA Today's live Cup coverage before the Bulls closed the gap in the fourth to the 125-111 final. Detroit's win was built the other way, steadily: the Pistons led Brooklyn 96-73 late in the same live coverage window and finished the job at 110-94.

Why it matters

The Cup is in its fourth edition, and group results now shape early season talk as much as the regular standings do. Point difference counts in Cup group tiebreaks, so Detroit's 16-point win and Boston's 14-point win carry extra value beyond the win column. Ten games opened the tournament on one night, all of them group games, which means every team in action started its Cup account on Friday.

What happens next

Group play continues in November, with the late Friday games in the West completing the opening night slate. The Knicks have the quickest repair job: a 2-4 start for a defending champion draws attention in any format, and their next Cup game now carries early pressure.