The NBA Draft class of 2009 wasn’t thought to be particularly strong, but you wouldn’t know it based on last night’s performances. Led by odds-on rookie of the year Tyreke Evans, Italian import Brandon Jennings and the punishing inside presence of DeJuan Blair, the NBA’s first-year stars won last night’s Rookie Challenge by a score of 140-128.
Sacramento’s Evans scored a team-high 26 points and was named MVP, but that award could have easily gone to Blair. The San Antonio power forward — who slipped to the second round of the draft due to concerns over the health of his knees — dominated the paint, scoring 23 points and grabbing 22 boards.
Jennings scored 22 points and had eight assists, and Oklahoma City’s James Harden added 22 of his own. Harden’s teammate Russell Westbrook scored a game-high 40 points for the sophomores in a losing cause.
DeRozan Wins Dunk-Off
A rookie won halftime, too. Toronto rookie DeMar DeRozan won the first-ever “Dunk-In” over the Clippers’ second-year guard Eric Gordon. DeRozan won the right to participate in Saturday’s dunk contest and compete against Shannon Brown, Gerald Wallace and two-time dunk champ Nate Robinson.
Rookies Own All-Star Friday Night originally appeared on About.com Basketball on Saturday, February 13th, 2010 at 12:03:37.
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