NBA News: Tuesday, January 31

It’s the final day of January, and there are plenty of important things happening throughout the National Basketball Association. You can continue to look at the playoff races each night, but there are some things going on behind the scenes as well.

There is going to be plenty of focus on the NFL and the Super Bowl over the next few weeks, but ignoring what’s going on in the NBA is a mistake. Here is a look at three of the biggest news stories for the final day of January.

Turner, Pacers Reach Agreement

The standoff between the Indiana Pacers and All-Star center Myles Turner has officially ended, at least in the short term. On Monday, it was announced that the Pacers have signed Turner to a two-year contract extension and that will keep him in Indiana through the 2024-25 season. 

Turner has expressed his desire to remain in Indianapolis with the team that has drafted him, but that didn’t always look like it was going to happen. The Pacers are a team that is going to be selling at the Trade Deadline, and Turner’s name always seems to come up in trade rumors. 

Through this deal, Turner is set to receive an additional $60 million, and part of that comes from a renegotiated deal for this season. The Pacers were under the salary cap floor before signing Turner to an extension, and it made sense to throw additional money at one of the cornerstones of the franchise.

Westbrook Reaches Milestone

There has been plenty of attention paid to LeBron James and his quest to become the all-time scoring leader in the NBA. With all of that going on, people forgot all about Russell Westbrook and his march up the record board. 

On Monday night, Westbrook recorded his 8,967th career assist, and that put him past Gary Payton for 10th on the all-time list. Westbrook actually finished the game with a few more times and now stands at 8,972. 

Westbrook already holds the NBA record for most career triple-doubles, and that is one record that isn’t likely going to get challenged anytime soon. It was still a disappointing loss for the Los Angeles Lakers, though, as they were defeated by the Brooklyn Nets after both LeBron James and Anthony Davis sat out.

Celtics Staff to Coach All Stars

There continues to be more news coming out surrounding the NBA All-Star Game, and that was the case again on Monday. The NBA has announced the coaching staffs for one of the teams, and it came down to the wire in the Eastern Conference. 

It will be interim head coach Joe Mazzula of the Boston Celtics that will get the chance to coach Team Antetokounmpo. A loss by the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday kept Doc Rivers and his staff from making another trip to the NBA All-Star Game. 

There is still some work to be done in the Western Conference, but the Denver Nuggets have built up a sizable lead. If the Nuggets are able to hold onto the top record in the Western Conference for another week, then head coach Michael Malone will make his All-Star head coaching debut.

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All Media on this page by Associated Press.