Tinalo ang Team Webber sa NBA Rising Stars Challenge: Drummond iginiya ang Team Hill

NEW ORLEANS — Kumamada si Andre Drummond ng 30 points at 25 rebounds at tinalo ng Team Hill ang Team Webber, 142-136, sa NBA Rising Stars Challenge, bahagi ng All-Star weekend festivities.

Isang 41 percent free throw shooter lamang sa re­gular season, nagsalpak ang Detroit Pistons forward ng 6-for-8 clip, tampok dito ang dalawa sa huling 29 se­­gun­do.

“Drummond had in his mind that he was going to go out and play the game hard,’’ sabi ni head coach Nate Mc­Millan, ang assistant ni Indiana coach Frank Vo­gel.

“Every rebound that came off the board, he wan­ted. A few of them he took from his teammates, but I liked his aggressiveness,’’ dagdag pa nito.

Nagdagdag naman si Cleveland Cavaliers star Di­on Waiters ng 31 points, ang karamihan dito ay sa kan­yang 1-on-1 duel kay Tim Hardaway Jr. ng New York sa second half.

Tumapos si Bradley Beal na may 21 markers para sa Team Hill ni dating NBA star Grant Hill.

Nag-ambag si Portland guard Damian Lillard, isa ring second-year player, ng 13 points, 5 rebounds at 5 assists para sa Team Hill.

Si Lillard, ang 2013 NBA Rookie of the Year, ay ma­giging bahagi ng limang events, kasama dito ang All-Star Saturday at ang All-Star game sa Linggo.

Umiskor si Hardaway ng 36 points kasunod ang 17 ni Philadelphia rookie Michael Carter-Williams.

Ang nasabing annual game na nagsimula bilang matchup ng mga top rookies at ginawang roo­kies kon­tra sa mga second-year players ay pinaghalo ngayon ang mga rookies at second-year cagers.

Sina Drummond at Waiters ay mga second-year pla­yers at sina Hardaway at Carter-Williams ay mga rookies.