Cup Night Is Here: Grizzlies Stay Perfect, Okongwu Drops 29, the Kings Are 0-5, and the Knicks Start Their Title Defense Tonight

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RF Sports Radio branded title card with NBA logo: Thursday recap and Emirates NBA Cup group play opening tonight

By Jordan Pierce, RF Sports Radio NBA voice

Hoop heads, the NBA's in-season tournament starts tonight, but Thursday's three-game card had a few things worth talking about first. Memphis is perfect, Sacramento is the opposite, and Atlanta pulled off the best finish of the night.

The facts

Atlanta beat Cleveland 114-111 at State Farm Arena behind Onyeka Okongwu's 29 points and 12 rebounds. James Harden led the Cavaliers with 24, per RealGM's box scores. The Hawks are 3-3 and the Cavs fell to 3-2. New Orleans got its first win, 132-120 over Sacramento, as Jeremiah Fears had 22 points and 13 assists. The Kings fell to 0-5 despite 34 points and 14 assists from Darryn Acuff Jr. And Memphis won 124-103 in Portland to move to 5-0, despite 24 points from Deni Avdija.

Tonight, the Emirates NBA Cup begins. Per NBA.com, Group Play runs 60 games from Oct. 30 to Nov. 27, and every game counts in both the regular season and the Cup standings. Prime Video has a doubleheader: the Knicks, the reigning NBA Cup and NBA champions, visit Philadelphia at 6:30 p.m. Central, and the Lakers visit Golden State at 9 p.m. Central. Locally, Houston (5-0) visits Dallas at 7 p.m. Central in West Group A. Eight teams advance to the knockout rounds, and the championship is Dec. 11 at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

RF Sports Radio's take (opinion)

My take: Memphis at 5-0 is the story nobody outside the South is talking about. Winning by 21 in Portland is not a schedule gift. If the Grizzlies are still unbeaten next week, they need to be in every top-five conversation.

Sacramento worries me. Zero and five with a guard putting up 34 and 14 means the problem is not effort. It is construction. Somebody in that front office needs a plan before November becomes December.

As for the Cup, I am a believer. Knicks-Sixers is a rematch of opening night, and I want to see if Philly's new pieces have figured each other out yet. Lakers-Warriors is Luka against Steph late at night, and it is never boring.

Here is my one complaint about the format, though. Group Play only gives each team four Cup games, so one bad night can sink you. That is good for drama and bad for the best team. Dallas fans should circle Nov. 24 at Denver, per NBA.com, because that is the Mavs' national Cup showcase on NBC.

Atlanta deserves a word, too. Okongwu with 29 and 12 against a Cleveland frontcourt is the kind of night that changes how teams scheme against the Hawks. If he is a consistent 20-point big, Atlanta's ceiling just went up.

What to watch next

Cup standings after tonight, Memphis' next test and whether the Kings can find a win. For Wednesday's Curry and Wemby night, read our Oct. 29 NBA roundup, and keep up with the league on our NBA page.

Radio question: is the NBA Cup a real trophy now, or still a regular-season gimmick with a fancy court?

Sources: RealGM - NBA scores, Oct. 29, 2026; CBS Sports - NBA scoreboard; NBA.com - Group Play schedule for Emirates NBA Cup 2026; whynba - NBA scores and results, Oct. 29, 2026.

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