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OU basketball: Trae Young, Buddy Hield face off while Blake Griffin's Nets debut remains in limbo

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Former Sooners Buddy Hield, Trae Young and Blake Griffin pose for a large group photo after the Legends Alumni Game Aug 25.

 Paxson Haws/The Daily

The week of March 13-19 started off with two former Sooners playing against each other.

One of the two continues to be included in trade rumors as the March 25 NBA Trade Deadline nears. And yet another former OU player is still awaiting his debut on a new team.

Here’s a look at stats and news about Trae Young, Buddy Hield and Blake Griffin:

Trae Young (4 games): 19.5 points per game, 9.5 assists per game, 37 percent shooting on 6.8 3-pointers

The Atlanta Hawks won all four of their games this week, extending their winning streak to seven games since Nate McMillan took over as interim head coach when Lloyd Pierce was dismissed March 1.

Young’s best-scoring game came against Hield and the Sacramento Kings on Saturday, March 13. Young finished that game with 28 points and nine assists. He shot 9-of-17 overall and went 5-of-10 from three.

Young followed that up with a 14-point and six-assist performance against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday, March 14, where he shot only 4-of-9 from the field in a 100-82 win.

Against the Houston Rockets on Tuesday, March 16, Young finished with a 13-point and 14-assist double-double in a win. Young shot 3-of-13 from the field. And to finish the week, Young delivered a 23-point, nine-assist and six-rebound stat line against the Oklahoma City Thunder in a lopsided 116-93 win for the Hawks.

Buddy Hield weekly stats (4 games): 17.8 points per game, 3.5 assists per game 5 rebounds per game, 36.4 percent shooting on 11 3-pointers

Hield's Kings continue to slide toward the bottom of the Western Conference standings with a 17-24 record.

Due to Sacramento’s downfall, rumors of Hield’s availability before the March 25 NBA Trade Deadline have surfaced, with some reports saying the Kings will not trade Hield unless they are “blown away” with an offer. Hield is in the second year of a four-year, $94 million contract extension he signed in October 2019.

During the week, Hield showed why contending teams should be interested in the sharpshooter’s services.

Against Young and the Hawks on Saturday, March 13, Hield scored 10 points with five assists and four rebounds. Hield struggled in that game with his shooting as he went 4-of-16 overall and 2-of-11 from three.

Hield rebounded from that poor shooting night against the Charlotte Hornets on Monday, March 15, by scoring 23 points on 8-of-14 shooting while going 5-of-11 from three. The Kings snapped their two game losing streak against the Washington Wizards on Wednesday, March 17. Hield contributed 16 points on 4-of-13 shooting.

Hield closed the week with a 22 point performance while shooting 8-of-15 from the field and going 6-of-13 from three in a 107-96 win against the Boston Celtics on Friday, March 19.

Blake Griffin

Griffin is still not ready to return to the court as he is managing a left knee injury. The recently turned 32-year-old signed with the Nets on March 8.

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