NBA Cup: Stephen Curry Dominates Late As Warriors Edge Dallas Mavericks 120-117, Spoiling Klay Thompson's Return

Stephen Curry scored 37 points, including Golden State's final 12, to rally the Warriors past Klay Thompson and the Dallas Mavericks 120-117 on Tuesday night in an NBA Cup game. (More Sports News)

Thompson finished with 22 points in an emotional return to Chase Center for the first time since he departed to join Dallas in July.

Luka Dončić started and had 31 points, eight rebounds and six assists after the team decided his left groin strain was healthy to play once he went through his warmup routine.

The Warriors gifted captain hats to fans in a tribute to Thompson's tradition of taking his boat across the bay to games. Thompson embraced Curry shortly before tipoff and his 3-pointer gave Dallas a 110-105 lead before his old Splash Brother took over.

Curry shot 14 for 27 with five 3s and added nine assists and six rebounds, also sparking a 20-3 burst to begin the third quarter.

Dereck Lively II, questionable to play because of a sprained right shoulder, contributed 12 points and eight rebounds for Dallas, which committed 18 turnovers, leading to 21 Warriors points.

Golden State got 16 points from Jonathan Kuminga and 14 from Buddy Hield.

Curry fouled Thompson 15 seconds into the game and Thompson scored the initial two points of the contest at the free-throw line. But Thompson missed his initial two field-goal attempts before knocking down a 3-pointer with 1:26 remaining in the opening quarter.

Knicks handle Embiid, struggling 76ers

OG Anunoby scored 24 points and the New York Knicks spoiled 76ers star Joel Embiid's season debut, beating Philadelphia 111-99 in the opener of NBA Cup group play for both teams.

Embiid was rusty in his first action since winning the gold medal at the Paris Olympics on Aug. 10. He finished with 13 points on 2 of 11 from the field with three rebounds in 26 minutes and was unable to lift the struggling Sixers, who fell to 2-8. Paul George led Philadelphia with 29 points and 10 rebounds.

Josh Hart added 14 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists for the Knicks. Karl-Anthony Towns had 21 points and 13 boards, while Jalen Brunson scored 18 points on 5-of-15 shooting.

New York started the fourth quarter on a 13-2 run that broke open a three-point game. Anunoby had three dunks during the run, often taking dead aim at a vacancy caused by Embiid, who was slow to defend the rim.

The Knicks recorded 31 assists on 44 field goals and shot 49% from the floor.

Hawks rally past Celtics

Onyeka Okongwu tipped in a missed shot with 6.1 seconds left, and Jaylen Brown missed a jumper at the buzzer as the Atlanta Hawks overcame a 15-point, second-half deficit to beat the Boston Celtics 117-116 in their NBA Cup opener.

Dyson Daniels scored a career-high 28 points, and Jalen Johnson had 18 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists as Atlanta snapped a two-game losing streak despite playing without star Trae Young.

Brown scored a season-high 37 points and Derrick White added 31 for Boston as it opened the in-season tournament on a green floor with a special parquet design. The defending NBA champions had a two-game winning streak snapped and lost for just the third time this season.

Jayson Tatum's 3-point attempt from the left corner with 24 seconds left and Boston leading 116-115 rimmed out. Daniels missed a floater, but Okongwu tipped it in to give the Hawks their first lead since the final seconds of the first quarter.

The teams traded turnovers on inbounds passes before White found Brown, who pulled up from 13 feet and shot off the rim.