Grades: Rising Stars Challenge

— -- The NBA's best young stars took center stage on All-Star Friday, in which 20 first- and second-year players from the U.S. and around the world hit the court. Players were selected by the league's assistant coaches. The World team beat the U.S. team 150-141.

WORLD TEAM

Jamal Murray
Nuggets?(Canada)
Guard | Grade: A-plus

Game stats
36 PTS | 9 3PM | 11 AST

Analysis
A deserving MVP, Murray scored 27 of his 36 points after halftime. He began the game looking for highlight plays as a passer and finding them, notably alley-oop connections with Buddy Hield (from half court) and Trey Lyles. In the second half, Murray caught fire from beyond the arc and finished 9-of-14 on 3s. He also had 11 assists for a double-double.

Nikola Jokic
Nuggets?(Serbia)
Center | Grade: A

Game stats
12 PTS | 11 REB | 8 AST

Analysis
Having recorded a pair of triple-doubles this month, Jokic nearly had another in the Rising Stars Challenge, finishing two assists shy. Not as effective an above-the-rim finisher as his teammates, Jokic was content to play distributor, though he did seal the game with a late floater.

Kristaps Porzingis
Knicks?(Latvia)
Forward | Grade: A

Game stats
24 PTS | 10 REB | 68.8 FG%

Analysis
An efficient night saw Porzingis make 10 of his 11 shots inside the 3-point line, nearly all of them at point-blank range. Porzingis also set himself up for easy finishes with four offensive rebounds and finished with 10 boards for a double-double. We'll overlook the fact that he spent part of the second half cherry-picking because this is the Rising Stars Challenge.

Joel Embiid
76ers?(Cameroon)
Forward | Grade: A

Game stats
zero PTS | zero REB | zero MIN

Analysis
Sidelined for the game by injury, Embiid nevertheless managed to contribute from the bench with strong in-game tweeting:

Buddy Hield
Pelicans?(Bahamas)
Guard | Grade: B-plus

Game stats
28 PTS | 6 REB | 3 STL

Analysis
An early front-runner for MVP, Hield did not finish as strong as Murray. Playing in front of his home fans, Hield let it fly repeatedly from beyond the arc whether covered or not and shot 3-of-12 on 3s. But Hield was 8-of-10 inside the arc. Minor demerit for Hield settling for a layup when he tried to throw the ball to himself off the backboard for a dunk.

Dario Saric
76ers?(Croatia)
Forward | Grade: B-plus

Game stats
17 PTS | 5 REB | 4 AST

Analysis
Playing out of position at small forward because of the World team's depth in the frontcourt, Saric still had 17 points, 5 boards and 4 assists in a versatile effort that saw him knock down three 3-pointers.

Willy Hernangomez
Knicks (Spain)
Center | Grade: B

Game stats
2 PTS | 6 REB | 1 AST

Analysis
Hernangomez had a more eventful night than his two points and one shot attempt might suggest. That one attempt was a left-handed finish of a Murray alley-oop. Hernangomez also had a couple of nice plays as a passer: a no-look drop-off to Sabonis for dunk and a play in which he went one-on-one with Towns and set up Trey Lyles at the rim. ( Note: Hernangomez replaced injured Emmanuel Mudiay.)

Dante Exum
Jazz?(Australia)
Guard | Grade: B-minus

Game stats
11 PTS | 4 AST | 50 FG%

Analysis
After starting at point guard for the World, Exum was overshadowed by MVP Murray. He had a couple of two-handed dunks and handed out four assists but shot just 1-of-4 from 3-point range.

Trey Lyles
Jazz?(Canada)
Forward | Grade: B-minus

Game stats
7 PTS | 2 AST | 1 REB

Analysis
The most notable part of Lyles' 13 minutes, which saw him score seven points, was a nice drive and pass to Alex Abrines for a corner 3.

Domantas Sabonis
Thunder?(Lithuania)
Forward | Grade: B-minus

Game stats
10 PTS | 62.5 FG% | 1 REB

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Analysis
After a rough start saw him pick up two early fouls, air-ball a 3 and end up on the wrong end of D'Angelo Russell's crossover move, Sabonis salvaged his evening by scoring 10 points on 5-of-8 shooting in a game-low 10:34 on the court.

Alex Abrines
Thunder?(Spain)
Guard | Grade: C-minus

Game stats
3 PTS | 1 3PM | 20 FG%

Analysis
Besides knocking down one of the five 3-pointers he attempted, Abrines' only other contribution was tracking down a couple of loose balls. ( Note: Abrines replaced injured Joel Embiid.)

U.S. TEAM

Karl-Anthony Towns
Timberwolves?| Center
Grade: A

Game stats
24 PTS | 11 REB | 78.6 FG%

Analysis
If it's possible to have a workmanlike 20-10 game, Towns did, quietly compiling 24 points and 11 rebounds. The highlight of his evening was a transition alley-oop to Devin Booker as Towns led the break.

Frank Kaminsky III
Hornets?| Center
Grade: A-minus

Game stats
33 PTS | 9 3PM | 75 FG%

Analysis
Kaminsky did his best to keep the U.S. team in the game, making a pair of 3s in the final minute. He was quick to pull the trigger from beyond the arc with phenomenal results: Kaminsky shot 9-of-13 from 3-point range and scored a team-high 33 points on just 16 shot attempts.

Jonathon Simmons
Spurs?| Guard
Grade: A-minus

Game stats
19 PTS | 4 REB | 60 FG%

Analysis
Having made the journey from the D-League to the Rising Stars Challenge, Simmons celebrated with an excellent performance, scoring 19 points. On two separate occasions, he accelerated in transition to elude the defense for uncontested dunks. And while the Rising Stars Challenge isn't really about defense, Simmons had a monster block of Hield and also contested one of his shots from behind after jumping at a pump fake.

Jahlil Okafor
76ers?| Center
Grade: B

Game stats
10 PTS | 83.3 FG% | 2 REB

Analysis
Given a chance to play after his recent absence from the 76ers' lineup due to trade speculation, Okafor took the opportunity to show off his ballhandling skills. He led a fast break and scored over Dante Exum but got greedy when he tried it again and turned the ball over. Otherwise, Okafor mostly finished with dunk plays created by his teammates.

D'Angelo Russell
Lakers?| Guard
Grade: B

Game stats
12 PTS | 4 AST | 55.6 FG%

Analysis
Russell supplied many of the highlights for the U.S. squad in isolation plays. After crossing over Domantas Sabonis, he hit a jumper over him, then later made a step-back 3. However, Russell also air-balled a similar jumper in isolation.

Myles Turner
Pacers?| Center
Grade: B

Game stats
12 PTS | 4 REB | 62.5 FG%

Analysis
Turner managed to score 12 points without leaving much of an impression. My only note about his game is that Turner missed a deep 3-point attempt, though he made two other 3s.

Devin Booker
Suns?| Guard
Grade: B-minus

Game stats
17 PTS | 6 AST | 46.7 FG%

Analysis
Booker knocked down three 3s and scored 17 points on 15 shot attempts. He also handed out six assists, highlighted by a half-court lob to Towns.

Marquese Chriss
Suns?| Forward
Grade: C

Game stats
7 PTS | 60 FG% | 1 3PM

Analysis
Chriss made his three field goals count, making a corner 3 and dunking home a missed shot he timed perfectly to catch above the rim as he was flying in from the perimeter. Though he stripped Hield for a steal, Chriss' best defense was clapping in Hield's face from the bench as Hield shot in front of the USA bench late in the game.

Malcolm Brogdon
Bucks?| Guard
Grade: C-minus

Game stats
3 PTS | 5 AST | 4 REB

Analysis
The unstructured nature of the Rising Stars Challenge isn't ideal for Brogdon's mature game. He scored a team-low three points on 1-of-5 shooting, including a missed layup, but he did chip in five assists running the point.

Brandon Ingram
Lakers?| Forward
Grade: C-minus

Game stats
4 PTS | 50 FG% | 3 REB

Analysis
It was a quiet night for the No. 2 overall pick, who had four points and three boards in 16 minutes. One of his two field goals was a nice one-handed dunk in transition.