NBA News Today: Jayson Tatum, Damian Lillard named Players of the Week; history made in Grizzlies win over Nets, and more | October 25, 2022
The first week of the new NBA season is over, and there were a lot of surprises and amazing performances. Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics and Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers were named the NBA Players of the Week.
Meanwhile, history was made in the Memphis Grizzlies' 134-124 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Monday. Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving scored 35 or more points.
Chris Paul also made history, while NBA commissioner Adam Silver has commented on the potential tanking this season. On that note, here's the latest NBA news today (October 25) brought to you by Sportskeeda:
Chris Paul becomes third player in NBA history with 11,000 assists
Chris Paul is already one of the greatest point guards in NBA history. He further cemented his name in the history books in the Phoenix Suns' 112-95 win over the LA Clippers at the Crypto.com Arena.
Paul became just the third player in league history to record 11,000 assists. He joined other Hall of Fame point guards John Stockton and Jason Kidd. He also became the first player to register 20,000 points and 11,000 assists.
With this lob to Deandre Ayton, Chris Paul has become only the third player in NBA history to ever record 11,000 or more assists!
He joins John Stockton and Jason Kidd. https://t.co/aPRkWDnuXG
After the game, the ten-time All-Star credited his former and current teammates for making him look better.
"I've been fortunate to play for a while now with a lot of great shooters," Paul said. "They are great players and gentlemen. Started off with David West, got a chance to play with Tyson Chandler, Peja Stojakovic, came here to play with Blake Griffin, DJ (DeAndre Jordan), J.J. Redick, and I could keep going. And now playing with (Devin Booker) and these guys."
Jayson Tatum, Damian Lillard named NBA Players of the Week
The NBA announced on Monday that Jayson Tatum and Damian Lillard are the Players of the Week. Tatum led the Boston Celtics to a 3-0 start to the season. He averaged 34.7 points and 8.3 rebounds while shooting 58.7%.
Meanwhile, Lillard helped the Portland Trail Blazers also end the first week of the season with a 3-0 record. He averaged 34.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game. He shot 47.1% and made 12 3-pointers.
NBA Players of the Week for Week 1.
West: Damian Lillard (@trailblazers)
East: Jayson Tatum (@celtics) https://t.co/J8NP0aOFE2
Tatum continued his hot shooting into the second week of the season. He finished with 26 points against the Chicago Bulls on Monday, but the Celtics suffered their first loss. Lillard had 31 points and eight assists to start Week 2 to help the Blazers stay unbeaten.
Adam Silver opens up about possible tanking this season
Several rebuilding teams are expected to tank this season to boost their chances of getting Victor Wembanyama in next year's draft.
However, commissioner Adam Silver is against any form of tanking, telling ESPN that the league has done a great job in reducing incentives for teams intentionally losing.
"You're dealing with a 14% chance of getting the first pick," Silver said. "I recognize at the end of the day analytics are what they are, and it's not about superstition. A 14% chance is better than a 1% chance or a no percent chance. But even in terms of straightforward odds, it doesn't benefit a team to be the absolute worst team in the league."
However, Silver was honest when he said that there's no realistic way to have a relegation format in the league. If the NBA introduces relegation, tanking will likely be eliminated, and the league would become more competitive.
NBA history made in Memphis Grizzlies win over Brooklyn Nets
The Memphis Grizzlies beat the Brooklyn Nets' 134-124 on Monday at the FedEx Forum. Ja Morant and Desmond Bane each had 38 points to lead the Grizzlies. Meanwhile, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving had 37 points apiece for the Nets.
According to the NBA, it marked only the third time in league history that four players scored at least 35 points in the same game. It's also the first time that happened in a non-overtime game. The last time four players scored 35 points in a game was in 1983 when the Detroit Pistons outlasted the Denver Nuggets in triple overtime.
Isiah Thomas had 47 points, John Long 41, while Kelly Tripucka put up 35 points for the Pistons. Kiki Vanderweghe exploded for 51 points, while Alex English scored 47 points for the Nuggets.
NBA Results for October 24
There were eight games scheduled on Monday. The Philadelphia 76ers picked up their first win of the season by beating the Indiana Pacers. The Toronto Raptors got their revenge on the Miami Heat in the second game of their back-to-back matchups in South Beach.
The Chicago Bulls handed the Boston Celtics their first loss of the season, while the Portland Trail Blazers improved to 4-0 on the season. The San Antonio Spurs continued their hot start to the season, while the New York Knicks, Memphis Grizzlies and Houston Rockets also picked up victories.
Here are the final scores for October 24:
- Philadelphia 76ers def. Indiana Pacers 120-106
- Toronto Raptors def. Miami Heat 98-90
- New York Knicks def. Orlando Magic 115-102
- Houston Rockets def. Utah Jazz 114-108
- Chicago Bulls def. Boston Celtics 120-102
- Memphis Grizzlies def. Brooklyn Nets 134-124
- San Antonio Spurs def. Minnesota Timberwolves 115-106
- Portland Trail Blazers def. Denver Nuggets 135-110