Sunday, eight former Illinois prep athletes saw minutes in various NBA games. Below I look into and share each of their NBA performances from April 3.
Best of the Day: Max Strus
It has gotten to the point where I should go ahead and pre-write these stories because this is about the third or fourth time Max Strus (Stagg) has been the “Best of the Day” this week. For those that aren’t familiar, this honor is given to the stat stuffers of the day but those who might have but came up big for their teams.
Strus scored 14 points in the third quarter to spark the Heat offensive explosion which brought the Heat another victory. He would finish with 23 points including seven three-pointers in the win in Canada.
- Max Strus (Stagg/Miami Heat)- 29 minutes, 23 points, 7/10 FG, 7/9 3PT, 2/2 FT, 3 rebounds, an assist, a steal, and a game-high +10 (tied with Bam Adebayo) in a 114-109 win over the Toronto Raptors.
Rest of the Day’s Performances:
- Fred VanVleet (Auburn/Toronto Raptors)- 21 minutes, a game-high 29 points (tied with Pascal Siakam), 7/17 FG, 4/11 3PT, 11/11 FT, 2 rebounds, a team-high 7 assists, a game-high 3 steals (tied with 2 others), a team-high 5 turnovers, and -10 in a 114-109 loss to the Miami Heat.
- Jalen Brunson (Stevenson/Dallas Mavericks)- 36 minutes, 5/12 FG, 3/6 3PT, 2/2 FT, 3 rebounds, an assist, a steal, a turnover, and +6 in a 118-112 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.
- Anthony Davis (Perspectives/Los Angeles Lakers)- 35 minutes, a team-high 28n points, 11/25 FG, 6/6 FT, an offensive rebounds, 9 total rebounds, a team-high 8 assists, a team-high 2 steals (tied with Russell Westbrook), a game-high 3 blocks, 2 turnovers, and -10 in 129-118 loss to the Denver Nuggets.
- Talen Horton-Tucker (Simeon/Los Angeles Lakers)- 18 minutes, 7 points, 3/6 FG, 0/1 3PT, 1/1 FT, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, a turnover, and -11 in a 129-118 loss to the Denver Nuggets.
- Isaiah Roby (Dixon/Oklahoma City Thunder)- 30 minutes, 11 points, 3/7 FG, 2/4 3PT, 2/4 FT, 2 offensive rebounds, 8 total rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and +14 in a 117-96 win over the Phoenix Suns.
- Keita Bates-Diop (University/San Antonio Spurs)- 21 minutes, 12 points, 6/8 FG, 3 offensive rebounds, 7 total rebounds, an assist, a turnover, and +4 in a 113-92 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
- Robert Covington (Proviso West/Los Angeles Clippers)- 18 minutes, 8 points, 3/7 FG, 2/6 3PT, 2 rebounds, an assist, a game-high 2 steals (tied with 4 others), a block, and +14 in a 119-100 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.
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