NBA Cup: Golden State Warriors advance to quarterfinals, McCain puts smiles back on Philadelphia 76ers' faces

Led by 30 points from rookie Jared McCain, the Philadelphia 76ers ended a five-game losing streak with a 113-98 win over the Brooklyn Nets. Meanwhile, the Golden State Warriors became the first team to qualify for the NBA Cup playoffs.

The Sixers' win, which lifted them off the bottom of the Eastern Conference, kicked off a day of eight games that also counted towards the NBA Cup group stage. Philadelphia entered the matchup against the team coached by Spanish coach Jordi Fernández amidst a crisis that extended beyond just their performance on the court.

The atmosphere surrounding the franchise has grown tense following reports of a heated locker room meeting earlier this week. During the players' gathering, young Tyrese Maxey reportedly confronted Joel Embiid, the 2023 MVP, accusing him of consistently arriving late to team activities.

Embiid, who missed the first few weeks of the season to focus on his fitness, has now been sidelined from this week's games to receive treatment for his left knee. Meanwhile, Paul George, the star acquisition of the year, is also out due to a left knee issue.

Despite the setbacks, the Sixers secured the win in Brooklyn thanks to Tyrese Maxey, who scored 26 points, and Jared McCain, who added 30 with six three-pointers. The shooting guard, selected 16th overall in the most recent draft, has been one of the few bright spots for the Sixers this season and has now scored at least 20 points in seven consecutive games. Celebrating one of his three-pointers, McCain even joked, "I'm the Rookie of the Year!"

The game was tied until the last five minutes, when McCain and Maxey scored 19 straight points to clinch their win. 

Wins for Celtics, Bucks and Mavs

The Golden State Warriors were the first team to qualify for the NBA Cup quarterfinals with a 112-108 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. Stephen Curry, who scored 19 points, took a backseat offensively as Andrew Wiggins stepped up with 30 points. Despite several key absences, the Pelicans fought hard until the final buzzer, thanks in part to an inspired performance from Trey Murphy, who finished with 24 points and five three-pointers.

With the win, the Warriors, the only team with a 3-0 record, secured their spot at the top of Group C in the Western Conference.

In another game, the Boston Celtics defeated the Washington Wizards 108-96 on a night when their leader, Jayson Tatum, struggled with his shooting, missing all 10 of his three-point attempts. The forward finished with 16 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists, while his teammate Jaylen Brown led the way with 31 points and 11 rebounds.

With this win, the Celtics improved to a 2-1 record in the NBA Cup, tying for the top of East Group C with the Atlanta Hawks, who lost 136-122 to the Chicago Bulls.

Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Milwaukee Bucks to a 129-119 win over the Indiana Pacers with a triple-double of 37 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists.

The day concluded with the Dallas Mavericks' 123-120 victory over the Denver Nuggets. The Mavericks overcame the absence of Luka Dončić and Klay Thompson's erratic performance, as he finished with 0 points on 0-8 shooting.

Nikola Jokic returned for the Nuggets after a three game absence due to the birth of his son and finished the game with a triple double of 33 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists.