Stephon Castle, a San Antonio Spurs rookie, shined with a game-high 12 points, as Team C pulled off an exciting 25-14 upset victory over Team G-League in the Rising Stars after Friday night, MySportDab Reports.
With the win, Team C advanced to Sunday’s All-Star Game, where it will face off against the league’s biggest superstars.
The Rising Stars tournament, which opened All-Star weekend at the Chase Center in San Francisco, had a fast-paced final in which the first team to 25 points took the title.
Nuggets legend and Hall of Famer Chris Mullin’s Team C was down 12-8 when they unleashed Castle, who also assisted on the game-winning three-pointer made by Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George.
As the MVP of the Rising Stars, Castle was excited to face the All-Star team that honorary coach Shaquille O’Neal would lead, along with LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Jayson Tatum.
“Everybody wanted to play on Sunday,” Castle said. “We fought back and won. Now we’re prepared for the next obstacle.”
Teammate Dalton Knecht, an Los Angeles Lakers rookie, enjoyed the chance to compete against his legendary teammate James.
“It’s crazy playing in my first All-Star Game as a rookie,” Knecht said. “We will look to try and get that win.”
Friday’s action started with two hard-fought semi-finals. Bryce McGowens nailed a clutch 3-pointer to lead Team G-League to a 40-39 upset victory against Team M, which featured top draft picks Amen & Ausar Thompson.
Castle and George scored 16 points together as Team C beat Team T 40-34.
With the wind at their backs, Team C gets set to take on the N.B.A.’s best in what will be an exciting All-Star show down.
