Mavs rookies Nicolas Brussino and A.J. Hammons combined to score 38 points for the Texas Legends on Wednesday night in a 130-123 win against the Iowa Energy.
Both players were assigned to the Mavs’ D-League affiliate in Frisco earlier this week, as the NBA squad traveled north to Minnesota then south of the border to Mexico City.
Brussino scored 25 points on 8-of-11 shooting, including knocking down 6 of 8 3-point attempts. This was his first game on assignment in the D-League.
Hammons, meanwhile, recorded 13 points, eight rebounds, and five blocks in his third game on assignment for Texas.
The 24-year-old now holds D-League averages of 12.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks. The Legends are 2-1 in games Hammons has played, and are now 11-9 on the year.
Former Mavs point guard Pierre Jackson returned to the Legends as well for last night’s game, pouring in 32 points and 13 assists. He, like Brussino, connected on six treys. Hammons, flashing range of his own, hit 1 of 2 from beyond the arc.
Mavs player development coach Darren Tillis was in attendance, and he explained to TexLegends.com the benefits of assigning young guys who might not be in the rotation to the D-League, where they can get reps and playing time.
“(Hammons has) been doing a great job with us, but in the rotation he’s not playing but two to five minutes a game,” Tillis said. “Now he’s gonna play three games where he’s probably gonna play 30-plus minutes. You can’t duplicate that in the NBA right now.”
By the sounds of it, Hammons and Brussino will remain with the team through this weekend. The Legends have back-to-back home games against the Rio Grande Valley Vipers on Friday and Saturday night. The Mavericks are off both days.
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