NBA: The Pacers hold off the Knicks, the Spurs rout the Warriors and the Clippers come from behind to beat the Thunder

The Indiana Pacers defeated the New York Knicks 106-104 on Friday and seriously complicated the Knicks' defense of their NBA Cup, while the San Antonio Spurs thrashed the Golden State Warriors. In Los Angeles, the Clippers scraped out a narrow 113-112 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Pacers hold off New York's push

Indiana, which was still without its star Tyrese Haliburton, prevailed in Indianapolis thanks to balanced scoring. Pascal Siakam scored 19 points, Aaron Nesmith added 18, Kelly Oubre Jr. contributed 16 and Ivica Zubac and Andrew Nembhard each finished with 12.

The Knicks, the reigning NBA champions and winners of last year's NBA Cup, tied the game at 87 early in the fourth quarter. However, the Pacers responded with a 15-2 run and held the lead until the end.

Jalen Brunson was New York's top performer with 33 points and 11 assists, while Karl-Anthony Towns recorded 23 points and 15 rebounds. Towns had a chance to tie the game with a 15-foot shot at the buzzer, but the ball bounced off the rim, sealing New York's loss.

With this result, the Knicks fell to a 0-2 record in the NBA Cup group stage and are last in Eastern Conference Group B. Indiana coach Rick Carlisle praised his team's resilience against an opponent he described as a championship-caliber team.

The Spurs leave Golden State no chance

San Antonio put on the most dominant performance of the day by crushing Golden State 123-85, marking their 11th consecutive victory and their second win in the NBA Cup. The Spurs opened the game with an 18-0 run and led by as many as 43 points.

Stephon Castle was the standout performer with 32 points, his season high, including five 3-pointers on eight attempts. Victor Wembanyama added 12 points and 12 rebounds in just 21 minutes, recording his 121st double-double in the NBA.

The Warriors, without Stephen Curry due to injury, did not have a single starter score in double digits. L.J. Cryer was their leading scorer with 20 points, while Draymond Green scored just four and was called for a flagrant foul for shoving Wembanyama from behind.

Garland seals the deal in Los Angeles

The Clippers edged out the Thunder in a game decided in the final moments. Brook López scored 26 points, and Darius Garland added 24, including a three-point play with less than a minute remaining that put Los Angeles ahead.

Oklahoma City took a 112-106 lead with 2:43 remaining, but the Clippers closed out the game with a 7-0 run. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 40 points, though he missed the shot that could have given the Thunder the win at the buzzer.

With the win, Los Angeles improved to 1-1 in the NBA Cup and 3-8 in the regular season, while the Thunder suffered their third straight loss.