NBA News Roundup: Cam Thomas joins LeBron James in the record books, Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo named Players of the Week, and more
The Brooklyn Nets trading Kyrie Irving to the Dallas Mavericks shook the NBA world ahead of the Feb. 9 deadline. Irving's departure paved the way for Cam Thomas to make history for the Nets and join LeBron James in the record books.
Meanwhile, Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers and Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks were named Players of the Week. Lillard and Antetokounmpo played exceptionally well last week to help their teams win three games.
Here is the latest NBA news roundup for Feb. 7 brought to you by Sportskeeda.
Cam Thomas joins LeBron James in the NBA record books
After scoring 44 points on Saturday in the Brooklyn Nets' 125-123 win over the Washington Wizards, Cam Thomas dropped 47 points on Monday night. In the process, Thomas became the second-youngest player in NBA history to score 40 or more points in two straight games.
Thomas was the 27th overall pick of the 2021 NBA draft from LSU. Kyrie Irving's trade and the injury to Kevin Durant have resulted in more playing time for the 21-year-old guard. The Nets will need him to stay consistent for a potential playoff run.
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Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo named Players of the Week
Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers and Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks were named Players of the Week for Week 16.
Lillard led the Blazers to a 3-1 record last week, averaging 38.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 6.8 assists. He scored 40 or more points in three of their four games last week.
Meanwhile, Antetokounmpo continued to dominate opposing teams, helping the Bucks to a 3-0 record. "The Greek Freak" averaged 41.0 points, 17.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game.
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Kyrie Irving trade now official
The trade between the Dallas Mavericks and Brooklyn Nets for Kyrie Irving was made official on Monday. The Mavericks have acquired Kyrie Irving and Markieff Morris in exchange for Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, a 2029 future first-round pick and two second-round picks.
There were reports noting that the Nets were looking for a third team to acquire Dinwiddie. NBA insider Marc Stein noted that Brooklyn was interested in Fred VanVleet of the Toronto Raptors before the initial trade was made official.
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NBA, NBPA agree to extend CBA opt-out deadline
The NBA and NBPA have mutually agreed to extend the opt-out deadline of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement. The date was moved from Feb. 8 to March 31. If the league or the union decides to opt-out, the current CBA will end on June 30.
The current CBA started in 2017 and is in effect until next season. While both sides are negotiating a new CBA, a lockout is possible if no deal is done by July 1, 2024. The last lockout happened in 2011 and it lasted for 161 days before it was resolved.
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Complete NBA scores for Feb. 6
There were eight games on the NBA's schedule on Tuesday. It was headlined by the Golden State Warriors facing the OKC Thunder at the Chase Center. Klay Thompson had the biggest performance of the night, scoring 42 points in 33 minutes.
Here are the complete scores for Tuesday's games:
- Cleveland Cavaliers def. Washington Wizards 114-91
- Boston Celtics def. Detroit Pistons 111-99
- LA Clippers def. Brooklyn Nets 124-116
- Chicago Bulls def. San Antonio Spurs 124-108
- Sacramento Kings def. Houston Rockets 140-120
- Dallas Mavericks def. Utah Jazz 124-111
- Milwaukee Bucks def. Portland Trail Blazers 127-108
- Golden State Warriors def. OKC Thunder 141-114
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