Marcus Georges-Hunt has nothing but fond memories of his recent NBA Summer League experience with the Brooklyn Nets.
So when Brooklyn’s NBA D-League affiliate comes to Portland, Georges-Hunt sees plenty of familiar faces.
He also tends to play pretty well.
Georges-Hunt delivered 26 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds Saturday night to lead the Maine Red Claws to a 115-102 victory over the Long Island Nets before a crowd of 1,752 at the Portland Expo.
“There’s a little extra push,” Georges-Hunt said of playing the Nets. “They have a great staff, the whole organization is great. They treated me well, first-class. I learned a lot.”
In the home opener last month, also against Long Island, Georges-Hunt registered the 11th triple double in Red Claws history, with 22 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists in a 114-98 victory.
Maine (9-3) has won five of its last six games. The short-handed Nets, who relied almost entirely on a seven-man lineup, fell to 2-11.
“They got hit with injuries pretty bad,” said Red Claws Coach Scott Morrison of the Nets. “Give credit to them for playing tough at times. They beat us in the second and the fourth (quarters). We just got lucky with shots at different times in the game, otherwise I thought it was a much closer game.”
Jalen Jones scored 17 of his 28 points in a first half that saw the Claws take an 11-point lead after one quarter (32-21), fall behind by five in the second, then rally for a 51-47 lead at intermission.
A pair of Coron Williams 3-pointers early in the third quarter put the Red Claws ahead 61-51. Yogi Ferrell, waived by Brooklyn on Thursday, answered with a 3 of his own before Georges-Hunt reeled off two successful drives, a free throw and a 3-pointer for a 17-point advantage that never again dropped into single digits.
“The first and third quarters, I thought we came out and defended better than we have this season, and rebounded better,” Morrison said. “The second and the fourth, we didn’t, but at least we showed some signs that we’re capable of improving on those two areas.”
Jones drained his first two 3-point attempts in the opening minutes, then spent much of the rest of the game driving hard to the basket.
“When I hit a couple 3s early, that helps open up other parts of my game,” Jones said. “I can shot-fake and get to the rim a lot easier.”
The game marked the Expo debut of Red Claws big man Dallas Lauderdale, recovering from foot surgery that caused him to miss the previous two seasons. Lauderdale, 28, played on the opening road trip to Texas and Oklahoma but strained his Achilles tendon.
He started both halves, playing six minutes each, and wound up with two steals, an offensive and a defensive rebound, and the game’s opening basket on the only shot he took, after a feed from Williams.
“It felt great,” Lauderdale said. “I’m looking forward to the next game. In fact, I’m looking forward to practicing (Sunday). There was a time when I’d have to take the next day, the next two days off. I’m looking forward to getting back at it on a more consistent basis.”
The teams meet again Wednesday night in New York.
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