Former North Carolina forward Nassir Little scored a career-high 30 points in the Portland Trailblazers Monday's 134-106 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. Little got the start and added six rebounds, one assist, one steal, and two blocks in 30 minutes of action.
Little was 11-for-18 from the field and 5-for-7 from three. The loss moves Portland to 10-9 on the season. The Bucks are now 12-8.
Following the game, Portland guard C.J. McCollum was quick to praise the second-year pro.
"I see you, @2ez_nassie," wrote C.J. McCollum on Twitter. "Love the energy and the jumper pretty. Great rotation on the weak side block too."
Little is averaging 5.o points and 2.3 rebounds in just 11.2 minutes per game this season. He has played in 11 games and made two starts. Little is shooting 51.7 percent from the field and 58.3 percent from three.
"Brightside of this ass whoopin is that @2ez_nassie playing well and looks like he belongs. Happy to see it. Keep growing," McCollum added after the loss.
Check out highlights of Little's big night below, which include a sweet stroke from the three and the ability to get into the lane and score.
Have yourself a game, @2ez_nassie: 30 points in 29 minutes!@McDonalds | #RipCity pic.twitter.com/tNwiDKBmqe
— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) February 2, 2021
Little is in his second season in the NBA after he was selected by the Trailblazers with the No. 25 pick in the 2019 NBA draft.
Little was a high school phenom, who arrived at North Carolina as a 247Sports Composite five-star and the No. 3 overall prospect in the 2018 class. It was a major recruiting win for the Tar Heels.
He was MVP of the McDonald's All-Star game and co-MVP of the Jordan Brand All-Star game.
At UNC, Little joined a 2018 signing class that included point guard Coby White and small forward Leaky Black. The Tar Heels were 28-6 overall and 16-2 in the ACC during Little's only season in Chapel Hill in 2018-19. That season Carolina was led by White and seniors Luke Maye, Cameron Johnson, and Kenny Williams. Little came off the bench in all 36 games he played. The Florida native averaged 9.8 points and 4.6 points across 18.2 minutes per game.
Little scored in double figures 18 times (Carolina was 17-1 in those games) with a high of 23 against Virginia Tech. That was one of three 20-point games; he also scored a team-high 18 against Florida State.
Little's biggest two games in a Carolina jersey came in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. Against Iona, Little came off the bench to score 19 points in 17 minutes of action. In the second round vs. Washington, he scored 20 points and grabbed seven rebounds in 21 minutes. A bout with flu-like symptoms leading up to the Sweet 16 game vs. Auburn limited his productivity.
“Nassir is just an outstanding young man who has been a complete pleasure to coach,” UNC head coach Roy Williams said in a release after Little declared for the NBA draft. “Playing in the NBA has been a dream of his and everyone on our staff will continue to support his efforts in the months and years to come. He played a big part in our success this year and would have done even greater things late in the year were it not for a couple of injuries he sustained in mid-February. He was really coming along, especially on the defensive end, when he sprained his ankle against Virginia (on February 11). He played fantastic basketball and gave us a huge lift in Columbus in the first two games in the NCAA Tournament. It was unfortunate for Nas and our team that he was sick and far less than 100 percent in the last game. I am excited to watch his development and pro career.”
The Link LonkFebruary 02, 2021 at 07:18PM
https://247sports.com/college/north-carolina/Article/Nassir-Little-Scores-Career-High-30-points-in-Portland-Trailblazers-160315150/
Watch: Nassir Little Scores Career-High 30 points in Trailblazers Loss - 247Sports
https://news.google.com/search?q=little&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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