The Good, Bad, and Ugly Of Week 25 Of The 2025-26 NBA Season

The 2025-26 NBA regular season has officially crossed the finish line. Week 25 gave fans a chaotic mix of historic milestones, head-scratchers about certain rules, and the far-too-common “load management and/or playoff preparation” excuse, which left even the most diehard NBA followers questioning their own commitment to the game. 

The triple-double was once a rare feat in the NBA. Over the years, it has gone from a rarity to an almost common occurrence. On Friday night, the Utah Jazz found a way to add their own unique twist to the statistical accomplishment. During their high-scoring 147-101 demolition of the Memphis Grizzlies, Bez Mbeng and John Konchar both recorded triple-doubles in the same game. What makes this worthy of being put into the spotlight? They did it coming off the bench.

Guard Bez Mbeng, a 22-year-old rookie, led the duo with 27 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists, while journeyman John Konchar chipped in with 11 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists. This marks the first time in NBA history that a pair of teammates has achieved triple-doubles as reserves in the same contest. In a season that has been a wash for the rebuilding Jazz, seeing two role players etch their names in the record books gave Utah fans something to cheer for. 

*Grizzlies guard Jahmai Mashack finished the game with a unique quadruple double: 13 points, 15 rebounds, 14 assists, and 10 turnovers

The NBA’s "65-game requirement" for postseason awards was designed to deter players and teams from load management, but this week it was highlighted by a tale of two situations. 

On Sunday, Mikal Bridges checked into the New York Knicks' season finale for exactly 23 seconds. He committed a personal foul, checked out, and was credited with a game played. Bridges' appearance officially extended his "Ironman" streak to 638 consecutive games. By the NBA rule book and box score, he “played” the game. 

Meanwhile, Detroit Pistons point guard Cade Cunningham, who was having an All-NBA caliber season, is likely to fall short of the 65-game requirement for individual awards. Cunningham missed significant time due to a collapsed lung, suffered in a game that he had already logged five minutes of action, a night cut short by a medical emergency that had nothing to do with "resting." After missing eleven games, Cunningham returned to finish out the final three games of the season, even though the Pistons had locked the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Despite returning this week and proving his value, the league’s rigid criteria may cost him his All-NBA eligibility. When 23 seconds of "gaming the system" counts more than 5 minutes of elite production because of a literal medical crisis, the rules committee needs to reconsider its logic.

If you were an NBA fan taking in a live game on Friday, you likely needed a program and lineup even for your favorite team. On the second-to-last game day of the season, a staggering 168 players on regular contracts were listed as "Out."

While some players were sidelined with legitimate injuries, the vast majority of the players in street clothes were due to  "pre-playoff preservation" or "lottery-seed security." Consider for a minute the fan who paid full price for tickets to watch their favorite player (plus potential travel expenses), only to be stuck watching lineups that were made up of G-League hopefuls and journeymen rather than the league’s elite talent. 

Yes, the NBA is a business, and the players are commodities, but when almost 40% of the league’s typical roster spots have DNP beside them in the box score, it certainly doesn’t play well when asking fans to keep supporting a product that doesn’t provide a significant return on investment.