It’s only a 40-minute game and New Orleans rookie Buddy Hield logged 27 of them, but the Pelicans first-round pick still managed to fire more shots in Friday’s Rising Stars Challenge than he has in any 2016-17 regular season game. That was one item on the to-do list for Hield, who went 11/22 from the field and racked up 28 points. Another was getting a victory, which the World team accomplished in a 150-141 shootout against the USA squad.
The No. 6 overall draft choice from 2016 was the night’s leading scorer for much of the evening, before a barrage of Jamal Murray shots (9/14 from three-point range gave the Denver rookie top honors, with 36 points.