NEW ORLEANS — Jamal Murray and Buddy Hield each had moments when they caught the ball in the low post, only to dribble right out to the corner, turn and let fly a 3-point shot.
Maybe not the most fundamental approach, but the way they were scoring in the Rising Stars Challenge, no one seemed to mind — certainly not the fans.
Murray had 36 points and 11 assists as the World squad beat the US 150-141 Friday night. Hield, a New Orleans Pelicans rookie, added 28 points to the delight of the locals who’ll want to see more of that when the regular season resumes.
The game featuring top rookies and second-year pros is the main event on the first night of NBA All-Star weekend. While the final score demonstrated the sport’s global gains, both teams had their fair share of highlights.
Murray, a Canadian and Denver Nuggets rookie out of Kentucky, went 9 of 14 on 3-pointers and was voted the game’s MVP.
Hield, a Bahamian, was 11-of-22 shooting overall, but just 3 of 12 from deep. Hield’s regular season high is 21 points, but he’s averaged fewer than nine points in an inconsistent first season out of Oklahoma.
Murray essentially sealed the game by hitting three 3s in a span of 49 seconds late in the game.
World coach Mike Brown said he was going to call every play for Murray, “even though we didn’t have any plays. But it was easy, because his teammates were yelling every time the other team scored it or we got a rebound, his teammates were yelling, ‘Don’t pass, Jamal! Don’t pass!’ So he took that to heart and he made some big shots for us.”
Latvian Kristaps Porzingis of the New York Knicks added 24 points.
Frank Kaminsky of the Charlotte Hornets scored 33 for the US team and Karl-Anthony Towns of Minnesota scored 24, highlighted by his dunk of Phoenix guard Devin Booker’s half-court lob.
There wasn’t a whole lot of defense. Both teams shot close to 60 percent and neither team was fouled enough to attempt double-digit free throws. When the teams didn’t score, it was often because a brazen or flamboyant pass sailed wide of its target for a turnover.
The US had 18 turnovers, the World squad 13.
Croatian Dario Saric of the Philadelphia 76ers added 17 points for the World, outscoring his American Sixers teammate Jahlil Okafor, who had 10 points. But Okafor, who’s reportedly on the trade block, only played 14:34 — less than any other US player — in the 40-minute contest and made the most of his shots, going 5 of 6.
Jonathon Simmons of the San Antonio Spurs scored 19 points for the US, throwing down several forceful dunks. — AP
