The Rising Stars Challenge only slightly resembles actual basketball. Greater effort will be extended on defense in pickup games across the country this morning. Cherry picking is frequent, heat checking is nearly a requirement, and exiting the game with no injuries (and plenty of fun) is the real goal. Not competition.
Yet, make no mistake, Buddy Hield wanted to win the MVP in front of a sparse New Orleans crowd. No player attempted more shots than Hield's 22 and just one exceeded his 28 points. Of course the one player who did was none other than Jamal Murray, who poured in 36 points while shooting 13-19 from the field (9-14 behind the arc) while also contributing a game-leading 11 assists.