Chef Reactions checks in with NBA talk. Plus, the Lakers finally lose in the NBA Cup

On By Littum

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I would like to wish a Happy Thanksgiving to everyone who celebrates! Enjoy the food and recess if you are going to take a break. Speaking of breaks, we won’t be sending the newsletter on Thursday and Friday as we’re on a short holiday. But we’ll be back on Monday! Shut up sip!

NBA Cup Update!

The Lakers finally lost in the NBA Cup!

The NBA Cup has long been a place of safety for the Lakers. (By “longest,” I mean they went undefeated in winning the tournament championship last season, and they’re off to a 2-0 start in group play this year.) Last night, they faced the Suns, who have been through their own match. After starting 9-2, Phoenix lost its next five games as it tried to survive life without Kevin Durant (calf) and Bradley Beal (also a calf injury). The Suns got both KD and Beal back on the court last night in an attempt to hand the Lakers their first ever NBA Cup loss, which is exactly what happened.

Not only did the Suns hand the Lakers their first ever postseason loss, they obliterated LA and reminded everyone of what it had been like before the Durant injury. Phoenix won 127-100 thanks to a monster second half, outscoring the Lakers 65-40 in the final two quarters. They turned a competitive, fun game into a laughing stock. KD and Beal each had 23 points on a combined 19-of-32 shooting from the field, and Devin Booker led them all with 26 points and 10 assists. Now the Suns have taken a leading position in their group.

Wait, you know what that sounds like? Time for an NBA Cup update!

West Group B:

We know the Suns beat the Lakers. Guess what? The Spurs beat the Jazz 128-115 as they got 34 points, seven rebounds, six made 3-pointers and three blocks from Victor Wembanyama. That means we have a little clarity and a lot of confusion for this group.

  • Group leader: Sole (2-1, plus-19) | Win over UTA, LAL | Loss to OKC
  • In the mixture: Lakers (2-1, minus-16) | Winner over SAS, UTA | Loss to PHO
  • In the mixture: Spurs (2-1, plus-14) | Win over OKC, UTA | Loss to LAL
  • In the mixture: Thunder (1-1, plus-10) | Win over PHO | Loss to SAS
  • Eliminated: Jazz (0-3, minus-27)
  • Important games Friday? Thunder at the Lakers

West Group A:

The Rockets went to overtime with the Timberwolves but ended up winning 117-111 as Fred VanVleet led the way with 27 points and 11 assists. They also got 22 points, 11 assists, 10 rebounds, three steals and three blocks from Alperen Şengün to overcome 29 points from Anthony Edwards. That beats the pack for Houston.

  • Winner: Rockets (3-0, plus-49) | Wins over LAC, POR, MIN
  • Wildcard Hunt: Rocks (1-1, minus-5) | Win over SAC | Loss to HOU
  • Wildcard Hunt: Trail Blazers (1-1, minus-14) | Win over MIN | Loss to HOU
  • Effectively out: Timberwolves (1-2, minus-14) | Win over SAC | Loss to POR, HOU
  • Effectively out: Kings (0-2, minus-16) | Loss to MIN, LAC
  • Important games Friday? Clippers at Wolves, Kings at Blazers

West Group C:

There are still only two teams active in this group, which is starting to feel like a group chat of high school friends, with essentially only two people keeping this thing populated and active with weekly texts. The Mavericks are in good position for the wild card because of their point differential.

  • Winner: Warriors (3-0, plus-12) | Wins over DAL, MEM, NOP
  • Wildcard Hunt: Mavericks (2-1, plus-41) | Wins over NOP, DEN | Loss to GSW
  • Effectively out: Nuggets (1-2, plus-2), Win over MEM | Loss to DAL, NOP
  • Effectively out: Grizzlies (0-2, minus-17) | Loss to DEN, GSW
  • Officially Eliminated: Pelicans (1-2, minus-38) | Win over THAT | Loss to GSW, DAL
  • Important games Friday? Pelicans at Grizzlies

The last 24

No. 1 Kansas beats Cooper Flagg, no. 11 Duke

Duke loses again. The Blue Devils received an okay game from Cooper Flagg and a poor shooting night from Kon Knueppel to lose to top-ranked Kansas. Big draft in it.

Khris Middleton is almost back. He recently underwent five-on-five work in Bucks practice and will hopefully be back very soon. Eric Nehm has the information you need.

Shoutout from Kevin Harlan. If you thought I wasn’t going to include the GOAT announcer calling me out on TNT, you’d be dead wrong. Check it out!

Donovan Mitchell and the Cavaliers had a meeting that helped support their hot start. Sam Amick had the details.

Don’t miss this match tonight. Knicks (10-7) at Mavericks (10-8), 7:30 PM ET on ESPN. Not the same without Luka Dončić, but still this should be a great game.

National TV brings it. Thunder (13-4) at Warriors (12-5), 10 p.m. ET on ESPN. Fight for the top of the West right here.

Chef’s Reactions Q&A!

The internet legend makes some answers

If you’ve been on Twitter, Instagram or TikTok In the last few years, you’ve probably seen a terrible cooking recipe being fried by my guy Chef Reactions. He has amassed around six million followers across all platforms. He is one of the funniest and fastest people on social media. And while he occasionally celebrates some amazing cooking and baking efforts, this culinary guru is at his best when he sees a quirky recipe that can make anyone’s kitchen effort look like a Wizards game.

With Thanksgiving tomorrow, James Jackson and I asked the Croatian internet sensation four NBA and food-related questions.

We have Cedric “Cornbread” Maxwell, Nikola “Big Honey” Jokić and Channing “Buffet of Goodness” Frye. What is the best food nickname and why?

Chef: All fantastic options. BUT… my pick is my favorite player from growing up: “The Waiter” Toni Kukoč. As a child from a Croatian family, he was my lanky Eastern European idol. Rainbow 3s. Serving assists. THE WAITER, DUDE. I also worked in restaurants so I’m doubly biased.

Which three NBA players do you think would make the best chefs?

Chef: “Chef” Steph Curry is the obvious choice here, so he’s automatically included. I remember seeing a post about Kawhi Leonard doing something together, so I’m going to put him in as Sous Chef. You need a stoic who just puts his head down and gets done in a kitchen. Last but not least, I go with Dennis Rodman to neutralize Kawhi’s energy and be the loose cannon of the kitchen. It’s all about balance.

You are about to arrange the perfect holiday dinner for a team. What are the worst dishes that would ruin it?

Chef: You should go with the classics and avoid any kind of wild experimentation when it comes to the holidays. I feel like these guys spend so much time on the road, eating in restaurants, in hotels, on a bus/plane that they would want and appreciate a sense of normalcy and familiarity when it comes to special holiday meals. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Also: Brussels sprouts because they make people fart.

What are the Thanksgiving dishes you are most afraid of reacting to?

Chef: Nothing surprises me anymore. I made a video today where someone stuffed a whole turkey with Velveeta and then set about baking it for ONE HOUR, so there’s that.

@chefreaktioner Be thankful you don’t have to eat this #chef #chief actions #fyp #thanksgiving ♬ Original Audio – Boss Reactions

More Cup Update!

What you need to know for Friday

East Group A:

No action from this group last night, but we have a pretty important Friday lined up. The Magic are firmly in the lead due to their massive point difference. This group will likely come down to the Knicks-Magic game on Tuesday, December 3rd.

  • Group leader: Magic (2-0, plus-37) | Wins over CHO, PHI
  • Right there: Knicks (2-0, plus-14) | Wins over PHI, BRK
  • Effectively out: 76ers (1-2, minus-9) | Wind over BRK | Loss to ORL, NYK
  • Effectively out: Net (1-2, minus-16) | Win over CHO | Loss to NYK, PHI
  • Effectively out: Hornets (0-2, minus-26) | Loss to ORL, BRK
  • Important games Friday? Knicks at Hornets, Magic at Nets

East Group B:

The Bucks (sans Giannis Antetokounmpo) went into Miami and took down the heat with a 106-103 win. Damian Lillard finally snapped out of his 3-point slump by scoring 37 points and hitting 8-of-13 shooting from deep. The Bucks can now win the group with a win over Detroit on Tuesday. The Pistons could still win and shock the group by taking it.

  • Group leader: Pants (3-0, plus-29) | Wins over IND, TOR, MIA
  • Right there: Stamps (2-0, plus-4) | Win over MIA, THURS
  • Effectively out: Heat (1-2, plus-10) | Wind over IND | Loss to THAT, MIL
  • Effectively out: Pacers (0-2, minus-25) | Loss to MIA, MIL
  • Officially Eliminated: Raptors (0-2, minus-18) | Loss to MIL, DET
  • Important games Friday? Stamps at Pacers, Raptors at Heat

East Group C:

It’s officially what we call a mess. The Bulls beat the Wizards 127-108 last night behind 21 points from Coby White and seven different Bulls in double figures. That moved the Bulls to the top of the group for now, eliminating the Wizards from advancing. This group is too close to call.

  • Group leader: Bulls (2-1, plus-15) | Win over ATL, WAS | Loss to CLE
  • Right there: Hawks (2-1, minus-1) | Winner over BIM, VAR | Loss to CHI
  • Right there: Celtics (2-1, plus-14) | Win over CLE, VAR | Loss to ATL
  • Right there: Cavaliers (1-1, plus-15) | Win over CHI | Loss to BIM
  • Officially Eliminated: Wizards (0-3, minus-43) | Losses to ATL, BOS, CHI
  • Important games Friday? Cavs at Hawks, Celtics at Bulls

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(Top photo: Contributor / XXXX )