NBA Round Up: Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum make history, LeBron shines as point guard
Gordon Hayward is not coming back anytime soon for the Boston Celtics, but Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum stepped up in his absence on Tuesday.
The two number three NBA picks for the Celtics had fantastic nights as the Celtics defeated the New York Knicks 110-89.
Brown finished with 23 points on nine-of-16 shooting and Tatum added 22 points, four steals, four rebounds and two assists.
Celtics pair Brown and Tatum became the first ever team-mates to score 20-plus points at 21-years-old or younger.
While the Celtics have started to find their groove, the Cleveland Cavaliers are beginning to approach their game in a new way as LeBron James started at point guard in a 119-112 win over the Chicago Bulls.
Running the offence is not new to James as he repeatedly took the ball down the court in recent seasons in a point-forward role, but that does not take away from the fact that he looked good in just his first start at the position since 2005.
James finished with 34 points on 13-of-20 shooting, while added 13 assists.
“Ever since I was a kid I’ve always learned every position on the floor,” he told reporters after the game. “The point guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward and centre. And know all the plays, what they’re doing and reads.
“Coach slides me to the one, I know every set. If he slides me to the five, I know the five. I know the four. I know the three. I know the two. I know every single play in every single position, so it makes the job a lot easier for me because I know where I should be and what my team-mates should do.”
GORDON INSPIRES MAGIC
Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon scored a career-high 41 points on 14-of-18 shooting, including a perfect five for five from beyond the arc. He also added 14 rebounds and two assists in his team’s 125-121 win over the Brooklyn Nets.
With All-Star Anthony Davis out with a knee injury, DeMarcus Cousins picked up the slack with 39 points and 13 rebounds but the New Orleans Pelicans still lost 103-93 to the Portland Trail Blazers.
Pacers point guard Darren Collison scored 15 points on six-of-11 shooting, but more impressively he dished off 16 assists and registered a plus-21 in Indiana’s 130-107 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
MARKKANEN SHINING LIGHT IN BULLS LOSS
Bulls rookie Lauri Markkanen had a stellar first half as he went five of six from three-point range and scored 17 points.
PORZINGIS ENDURES FORGETTABLE OUTING
Knicks centre Kristaps Porzingis was horrendous in the first half, shooting one of 12 from the floor. He finished three for 14 with 12 points and five rebounds.
ACCESS DENIED!
Just as Ed Davis was about to celebrate a basket, Cousins came up with the block.
A DeMarcus SWAT! #DoItBig
: @NBATV pic.twitter.com/gyz4TavtXt
— NBA (@NBA) October 25, 2017
TUESDAY’S RESULTS
Orlando Magic 125-121 Brooklyn Nets
Boston Celtics 110-89 New York Knicks
Portland Trail Blazers 103-93 New Orleans Pelicans
Cleveland Cavaliers 119-112 Chicago Bulls
Indiana Pacers 130-107 Minnesota Timberwolves
Los Angeles Clippers 102-84 Utah Jazz
WIZARDS AT LAKERS
Who does not want to see what happens when Washington Wizards star John Wall takes the court against Lonzo Ball on Wednesday? Wall said he is going to show “no mercy” to the Los Angeles Lakers rookie, whose father said the 19-year-old would not lose twice in the same week. It is a bold statement, especially considering the Wizards are one of just four undefeated teams remaining in the NBA.
