In a matchup between two of the league's premier rookies, one left with a grin and a fist pump and the other left with a bloody mouth.
Brandon Jennings tallied eight 3-pointers and scored 35 points as the visiting Milwaukee Bucks won 114-108 in double-overtime against the Sacramento Kings on Friday night.
The night didn't end so well for Kings rookie standout, Tyreke Evans. The 20-year-old left the game in the final moments with a concussion, a laceration of the mouth and a chipped tooth.
Evans had 15 points, four rebounds and four assists late in the game when Ersan Ilyasova's elbow inadvertently hit Evans in the mouth when clearing space after a rebound. Evans left for the locker room with 24.4 seconds remaining in regulation. Evans will not travel with the team to Los Angeles for Sunday's matchup against the Clippers.
Jennings, who is making the case that the Rookie Of The Year race isn't over just yet, maintained his stance that the award isn't his goal. Rather, he put the focus on his team.
"My goal as a point guard is to make sure everyone gets involved and make sure I get to the playoffs every year," Jennings said. "I wanted to come in here this year and turn the franchise around and get to the playoffs."
The Bucks have now won 15 out of 17 games and maintain the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference playoff standings. Jennings' point total was his second highest of the season. Jennings season-high in points came on Nov. 14 when he dropped 55 on the Warriors.
Jennings said there is a bit of extra incentive playing against Evans.
"I guess you can say we're kind of like Magic and Bird," Jennings said. "We both want to win and we're both competitors. Off the court, we're really good friends but on the court we don't speak as much and we probably hate each other."
If Evans misses significant time, it could impact the final decision on the Rookie Of The Year Award. Jennings entered Friday's game with an average of 15.9 points, 6.1 assists and 3.6 rebounds while Evans came in averaging 20.3 points, 5.6 assists and 5.2 rebounds. The Bucks (37-30) however, are headed for the playoffs while the Kings (24-45) dwell in the West's cellar. The other award frontrunner is Golden State's Stephen Curry.
Evans had been playing some of his most complete basketball. The guard recorded his first triple-double just more than a week ago, and missed a triple-double by just one assist in his last game versus the Lakers and missed another by a single rebound two games ago against the Timberwolves.
Jennings had five first half 3-pointers and finished the half with 22 points. The Bucks led 49-48 at the half. The Kings finished the third quarter on an 11-1 run to lead 73-66 heading into the fourth quarter.
The Kings led 91-82 with 2:26 left in the fourth quarter but the Bucks stormed back and trailed by just one point when Milwaukee's John Salmons hit a 3-pointer with 20 seconds left. The Kings grew the lead back to three points on two made Beno Udrih free throws.
Trailing by three with 20 seconds left, Jennings dribbled around in the half court, crossing through the key baseline and back above the 3-pont line, unable to find an opening in the defense.
Jennings finally conceded as the clock drained down, giving the ball up to Ersan Ilyasova who connected on a deep 3-pointer six feet from behind the top of the arc with seconds left.
"Actually, it was a play for John Salmons," Jennings explained. "It was a fake handoff to Carlos (Delfino) and a back screen for John Salmons on the other end but I couldn't find him and I had a layup but I didn't want to go for the layup so I just kept my dribble and found Ersan and he threw up a hail Mary and it went in."
Tied again with 20 seconds remaining in the first overtime, the ball went to Jennings again who ran the clock down to five seconds, drove and pulled up on a closely-defended left elbow jumper, but missed to send the game into its second overtime.
Finally in the second overtime, John Salmons made a mid-range bank shot with the shot clock expiring to put the Bucks up 112-108 with 35.5 seconds remaining.
Kings third-year big man Spencer Hawes had 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists. After not scoring in double figures through the first eight games of March, Hawes has now scored in double figures in back-to-back games. He had 13 on March 16 against the Lakers.
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Bucks vs Bobcats Highlights Feb 21, 2010by yehyeh4real883 views
go bucks go bryce mogensen
32sassynclassy 1 year ago
Jennings dominated Evans in that 1. Showed us all who rookie of the year really was.
dmacid 1 year ago
lol man... I kinda love Ersan as a player, I watched the turkish team the last summer and he was very dominant and played well, also in barcelona. but man, I watched this Kings game live and it was brutal and 99% intentional IMO
Shembeatz 1 year ago
@Shembeatz
i sincerely hope you are joking because it was quite obviously incidental and no harm was intended, i REALLY hope you are joking man
fellXhouseXranger 1 year ago
Ersan Ilyasova, from now on you will be refer to as a dirty player
Shembeatz 1 year ago
i agree, evans took down the bucks once, im pretty sure if he didn't leave, it would've been an entirely different game
whomiketrann 1 year ago
wouldve been a different game with reke havoc!
jaynguyenn 1 year ago
Yeah, basically the game winner for the Bucks...
Erikhaos 1 year ago
Evans doesnt miss that layup that Beno did in the end!!!
wtfa1davis 1 year ago
1:06 wow Ersan Ilyasova,that was the shoot!!!
P4inn 1 year ago