Four former Sooners participated in NBA action from Feb. 26-March 4.
Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young and Indiana Pacers guard Buddy Hield continued their strong post-All-Star break performances, whereas Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves and Brooklyn Nets forward Blake Griffin struggled.
Griffin's Nets (32-32) are in eighth place while Young's Hawks (31-32) are in ninth place in the Eastern Conference. Hield's Pacers (22-43), on the other hand, are playing for an advantage in the draft lottery, as they're out of postseason contention. In the Western Conference, Reaves' Lakers (22-43) sit in ninth place.
Here's a look at the former OU players' performances:
Trae Young (4 games): 34 points, 9.5 assists, 41.9 3-point shooting on 7.8 attempts
Young had a monster week. To start, Young scored 41 points on 70.8 percent shooting to go along with 11 assists in a 127-100 blowout win against the Toronto Raptors on Saturday, Feb. 26. Next, against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday, March 1, Young scored 31 points in a 107-98 loss.
Young followed up with 39 points and 13 assists in a 130-124 win over the Chicago Bulls on Thursday, March 3. To finish off the week, Young scored 25 points on 22 shots with eight assists in a 117-114 win over the Washington Wizards on Friday, March 4.
Trae Young was playing with the Raptors' defense🥶This was Trae's 22nd 40-PT game & 10th career game with 40+ PTS & 10+ AST, passing Michael Jordan for 9th most all-time. pic.twitter.com/0MJ7nGcUdA
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) February 27, 2022
ICE TRAE IS CLUTCH ❄️ pic.twitter.com/eAdFLwbHCI
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 4, 2022
Trae Young.Sensational. pic.twitter.com/7C5L5TSoZe
— Bally Sports South (@BallySportsSO) March 4, 2022
If Trae shimmies it's too late pic.twitter.com/nULkqvEGYy
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) March 5, 2022
Buddy Hield (4 games): 18 points, 5.5 assists, 5 rebounds
Hield continues to play well for his new team. In a 128-107 lopsided win over the Celtics on Sunday, Feb. 27, Hield finished with 21 points, four assists and six rebounds. The following day against the Orlando Magic saw Hield total 18 points and six assists in a 119-103 loss.
Against the Magic again on Wednesday, March 2, Hield finished with 17 points and six rebounds in a 122-114 overtime win. Hield’s finished the week with a 111-106 loss to the Detroit Pistons on Friday, March 4, as he scored 16 points with nine assists and seven rebounds.
Beautiful ball movement gets Buddy Hield open for three and the lead!✅ Over 3.5 3PM pic.twitter.com/fzbHFJ1vNE
— NBABet (@nbabet) March 3, 2022
tough take by @buddyhield 💪 pic.twitter.com/TBMwWhz0jq
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) March 1, 2022
Blake Griffin (2 games): 7.5 points, 2.5 rebounds
Griffin appeared in just two games this week, both losses and both against the Toronto Raptors. On Monday, Feb. 28, Griffin scored six points. On Tuesday, March 1, Griffin finished with nine points and four rebounds.
Blake Griffin. Still a hooper pic.twitter.com/PMEf1cdMEG
— Barstool Sooners (@OUBarstool) March 1, 2022
Austin Reaves (3 games): 4.3 points, 27.8 field goal percentage
Reaves looked like a rookie this week as he scored just 13 points in 64 minutes in three losses. Against the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday, Feb. 27, Reaves finished with just two points in a 123-95 loss.
On Tuesday, March 1, Reaves scored two points and committed four fouls in a 109-104 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. In a 132-111 blowout loss to the LA Clippers on Thursday, March 3, Reaves finished with nine points and three assists.
Austin Reaves finds Malik Monk cutting backdoor on TNT! pic.twitter.com/Cb0Bhsdu37
— NBA (@NBA) March 4, 2022
Up Next
Reaves’ Los Angeles Lakers against Golden State Warriors - 7:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, March 5 on ABC
Griffin’s Brooklyn Nets at Boston Celtics - 12 p.m. CT on Sunday, March 6 on ABC
Hield’s Indiana Pacers at Washington Wizards - 5 p.m. CT on Sunday, March 6
Young’s Atlanta Hawks at Detroit Pistons - 6 p.m. CT on Monday, March 7
