The 2026 NBA Cup is finally here, and boy do we have much to talk about! For starters, the reigning champions and the defending NBA Cup champions, the New York Knicks, fell narrowly to a Jaylen Brown-less team led by LeBron James, who yet again proved that he has no time for Father Time. Meanwhile, their head coach is noting down the patterns that continue to affect the Knicks. But Friday night had so much more!

From fights between teammates, an ejection for Flagrant 2, Stephen Curry bringing Luka Doncic’s nightmares to life, and more fight, fight, fight(s)! 

Kevin Durant has a heated exchange with his 25-year-old teammate

The last time the Houston Rockets met the Dallas Mavericks to open their season, Durant joked that Tari Eason being ejected was “hilarious.” Against them on Friday, he was in no laughing mood.

During Houston’s NBA Cup opener against the Mavericks, where they ended their winning ways in a 116-111 defeat, the lowlight that stood out was that Kevin Durant and Tari Eason got into a heated disagreement after a play.

After a pass from KD that traveled around the baseline, the ball went out of bounds, hitting what Durant assumed was Eason. He immediately yelled:

“Come on, man!”

The forward immediately pushed back.

“That’s not my fault,” Eason shouted back at Durant.

Durant continued gesturing and arguing, while the 25-year-old made it clear he wasn’t going to simply take the criticism. So, while everyone may have shrugged off the topic of the Rockets’ locker-room dynamics, tonight’s incident gave fans another reason to revisit it.

The exchange between two teammates was all over social media because of the controversy surrounding Kevin Durant’s alleged burner account earlier this year.

Screenshots attributed to the account circulated during NBA All-Star Weekend, with messages supposedly criticizing Rockets teammates Alperen Sengun and Jabari Smith Jr. Those messages remain alleged. And Kevin Durant declined to confirm or deny the allegations, calling the matter “Twitter nonsense” and insisting his teammates knew where things stood.

Apart from the incident, Houston also had plenty to worry about on the scoreboard. Despite KD’s team-high 28 points, the Rockets surrendered an eight-point fourth-quarter lead for their first loss of the season.

The NBA’s villain handed an ejection

Dillon Brooks has clearly leaned into his “villain” identity and found himself at the center of another controversial moment. This time, it involved his fellow Canadian and NBA rival Jamal Murray’s.

With 8:05 minutes remaining in the third quarter and the Denver Nuggets leading 84-76, Brooks went for a turnaround jumper. As he was coming down, he fell backwards and extended his right leg. It caught the Denver guard in the groin.

Officials initially called an offensive foul before reviewing the play and upgrading it to a Flagrant 2. The officiating Crew said the Suns star “overtly kicks Murray in the groin.”

The Phoenix Suns star was ejected, and Murray made one of his two flagrant-2 free throws to give his team an 85-76 lead.

The decision cost Phoenix one of its best performers.

Brooks had already scored 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting in just 21 minutes. The Suns eventually fell 127-120 despite his strong start. However, Murray wasn’t convinced the contact was intentional.

“No, of course not,” Murray said. “He’s shooting the ball. I mean, he might have flopped a little bit, but I don’t think he’s really trying to kick me in the (groin).”

They also grew up playing together in the Canadian basketball circuit and on the same AAU teams. The duo won a silver medal together for the Canadian senior men during the 2015 Pan American Games.

LeBron James delivers clutch performance to lift 76ers past Knicks

LeBron James reminded everyone that he still has plenty left in the tank. The 41-year-old delivered his best performance since joining the Philadelphia 76ers, helping them secure a 98-93 victory over the New York Knicks in their NBA Cup opener.

Philadelphia appeared to have the game under control after building a 14-point advantage. However, the Knicks fought back and briefly took a 90-89 lead through a Jalen Brunson three-pointer with 1:32 remaining. That was when Bron took charge.

He responded with a go-ahead fadeaway with 1:10 left before V.J. Edgecombe knocked down a crucial three-pointer to extend Philadelphia’s advantage. LeBron James then added a tip-in to put the result beyond doubt.

He finished with 20 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Tyrese Maxey led the Sixers with 27 points, while Edgecombe contributed 13. Joel Embiid, meanwhile, struggled with just 10 points on 3-of-12 shooting.

“I’m having a great time,” James expressed his excitement about joining Philadelphia.

The Sixers improved to 5-1, while James delivered another reminder that age has yet to catch up with him. Meanwhile, the Knicks are still looking for answers.

Mike Brown calls out the Knicks’ turnover problems after the Sixers’ loss

The head coach wasn’t interested in making excuses after the New York Knicks fell 98-93 to Philadelphia. Mike Brown pointed to careless possessions as a major reason his team couldn’t get past the Sixers.

New York committed a total of 13 turnovers, allowing Philadelphia to capitalize for 23 points off of them. Brown said the issue had followed the team throughout the season.

“It’s been going on all year,” Brown said. “We’re trying to hit a home run every time we get the ball and we have to hit singles. We can’t hit a home run, we gotta hit singles offensively, and then if our play breaks down, we have to move.”

Meanwhile, Stephen Curry gave James’ former team a tough time.

Stephen Curry “Nasty” move overpowers Luka Doncic’s 37-point performance

Returning to face the Los Angeles Lakers, Curry was motivated enough to bring the team that gave them a season opener loss to its knees. He also managed to do that to Doncic.

With the Lakers leading 69-60 midway through the third quarter, the Warriors star went one-on-one against Doncic. With a crossover dribble that ended with a step-back three-pointer, Curry also produced an ankle-breaker highlight over the Lakers star.

He also added insult to injury later on NBA on Prime.

“I was just trying to get a little bit of space. I didn’t expect it to get that nasty, but it was one of those [where] you gotta kind of keep your composure,” Curry said. “And I remember James Harden had to do like the shimmy to get himself going back in the day.”

Meanwhile, yet another player duo got into a heated moment.

Desmond Bane and RJ Barrett get double technicals

The Orlando Magic and Toronto Raptors brought some early fireworks to their NBA Cup opener. Desmond Bane and RJ Barrett got into a brief physical confrontation in the first quarter, forcing players and officials to step in.

The incident occurred with 5:59 remaining in the opening period. First, Collin Murray-Boyles was called for an offensive foul. Then Bane swiped at the ball and appeared to nudge Barrett. The Raptors forward took exception and pushed back.

Neither player wanted to back down, prompting teammates and referees to separate them. Officials handed both players technical fouls, but neither was ejected.

The exchange did little to slow Bane down. He finished with a season-high 28 points, knocking down six three-pointers as Orlando secured a 121-114 victory.

Things will only get spicier as we get deeper into the NBA Cup run!