The Lakers Led by 25, Then Lost by 17, and Rabotnički's Fifth Win Was Overshadowed by a Fan Clash Outside "Jane"

The Lakers led by 25, then lost by 17

Golden State trailed 40-15 at the start of the second quarter and finished 112-95 over the Lakers in the first game of the NBA Cup. Since the NBA began keeping detailed stats on every possession, no team that trailed by 25 has won so convincingly. Steph Curry finished with 31 points, six threes and six assists, and one of his dribbles left Dončić on the floor. Luka had a historic quarter: 21 points, five assists, a steal and a block, numbers nobody had ever put up in one quarter. In total 37 points, seven rebounds and five assists, but the Lakers fell to 4-2. "I have to be better first," he said. What's a record from the first 12 minutes worth if the next 36 belong to Curry?

Brooks ejected, Murray on the floor, Jokić three rebounds from a new triple-double

Dillon Brooks ended his night early. In the third quarter, on a turnaround shot, he stuck out his leg and hit Jamal Murray in the groin. The referees first called an offensive foul, and after review a Flagrant 2 and an automatic ejection. Murray says the blow wasn't intentional and that he and Brooks are friends, so he got his revenge in a better way: 39 points and seven threes in Denver's 127-120 win over Phoenix. Nikola Jokić posted 18 points and 10 assists, and two nights earlier in New Orleans he had his 200th regular-season triple-double. When he left, Brooks had 22 points and Phoenix trailed 84-76. The rest was written by Murray and Christian Braun, who added 31 points.

Partizan fall in Kaunas, and Valančiūnas is texting Jokić

Žalgiris beat Partizan 87-80 and reached a fifth EuroLeague win, while the Belgrade side fell to 4-5, after a second defeat in the double round. Best for the visitors was Nikola Tanasković with 19 points, and Carlik Jones hit just three of 14 shots. On the other side Jonas Valančiūnas had 16 points and eight rebounds, but delivered the best line after the game. Žalgiris have beaten both Crvena Zvezda and Partizan this season, and Jokić's former Denver teammate says he'll send him a message in Serbian tonight: "Hej, šta ima?" (Hey, what's up?). A Balkan joke from a Lithuanian, at the expense of both Belgrade rivals.

Rabotnički five for five, but the night was marked by the brawl outside "Jane"

Rabotnički beat Skopje 89-79 and remain the only unbeaten team in the Superleague. The third quarter decided it, with a run to 67-52, and center Robert Rikić finished with 29 points and eight rebounds. Except the score was overshadowed by what happened outside the arena: fans of MZT Skopje and Rabotnički clashed at the Jane Sandanski sports center in Aerodrom, even though the two clubs weren't playing each other at all. Initial information speaks of injured people and hospital treatment, and police came out with a reinforced presence. Who will answer when a sports night in Aerodrom ends in hospital?

Štip get their first win, Strumica back to earth three days on

Superleague newcomers Štip finally had something to celebrate: 87-81 over Strumica in the Jackson arena. The hosts reached a ten-point lead with a 6-0 run in the last quarter, the visitors came back to two, and Marjan Srbinovski's experienced veterans settled the game from the free-throw line. Ivica Dimčevski had 20 points, and Karakolev and Hamilton 19 each. The irony is at Strumica: just three days ago they beat champions MZT, and now they fell to a team that hadn't won a single game. In the other match Tikveš edged TFT 77-74. The Superleague this season looks like a league in which nobody except Rabotnički can plan beyond the next round.