NBA Hoos: Diakite Starts for the Cavs, Brogdon, Harris, & Murphy Make it Rain
Wednesday night was a busy one for anyone who likes to keep track of former Virginia men's basketball players in the NBA.
The Cleveland Cavaliers were missing a couple of key players, including All-Star center Jarrett Allen, so Mamadi Diakite cracked the starting five for the first time with the Cavs and the fifth time in his career. Diakite played a season-high 23 minutes, making two of his five shots, both of them three-pointers, and finished with six points, four rebounds, two assists and a steal.
Diakite earning his first start with the Cavs is perhaps a sign of an increasing role for the former UVA big man with the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are currently 3rd in the Eastern Conference standings with a 14-8 record.
Malcolm Brogdon continued to do his thing, dropping 21 points for the second game in a row and scoring in double figures for the fifth time in seven games since returning from an injury. In 26 minutes off the bench, Brogdon knocked down five of his seven three-point attempts and was 7/10 from the floor for 21 points, six rebounds, and an assist to help lead the Celtics to a 134-121 win over the Miami Heat in Boston.
After multiple ankle surgeries sideline him for most of the 2021-2022 season, Joe Harris is starting to look more and more like his former self as this season has gone on. Harris played a season-high 37 minutes on Wednesday night and knocked down four of his six three-point attempts, finishing with 14 points and five rebounds in the Nets' 113-107 win over the Wizards in Brooklyn. This performance comes two days after Harris scored a season-high 17 points in Brooklyn's victory over the Orlando Magic. The Nets have won six of their last eight games and are certainly happy to have their sharpshooter back on the floor.
The sophomore leap has been enormous for Trey Murphy III, who scored 20 or more points for the third-straight game and set a season-high with 26 points to help the New Orleans Pelicans defeat the Toronto Raptors 126-108. Murphy III was all over the floor, recording five rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block. He hit six threes, but his most impressive play of the night was a thunderous dunk he threw down on Scottie Barnes.
Tony Bennett is coaching one of the best teams in college basketball right now and he's got several former players shining at the highest level, too.
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