Sixers’ Mac McClung shines in Rising Stars appearance at NBA All-Star Weekend
The Sixers two-way player had 10 points, two rebounds, two assists and one steal in nine minutes. He made 4 of 8 shots – including going 2-for-4 from beyond the three-point line.
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SALT LAKE CITY — The Mac McClung hype was real on this night.
He and his Team Jason teammates lost, 40-32, to Team Joakim in the opening round of Friday’s Jordan Rising Stars event. But it wasn’t because of his effort. In a round-robin format, the teams played to a final target score of 40, with the first team to reach that score during the untimed game taking the win.
The 76ers’ two-way player had 10 points, two rebounds, two assists, and one steal in nine minutes. He made 4 of 8 shots — including going 2-for-4 from beyond the three-point line. And he was a fan favorite inside the Vivint Arena.
“Obviously, I want to compete,” he said. “But this is also an opportunity for you to look back and say, ‘Wow, I’m going to tell my kids about this one day. Like I was in the Rising Stars game.’ A lot of people dream to do that. So it was awesome.”
In a game of mostly one-on-one play, McClung tried to get teammates involved. He had his team’s first assist when he dished to Kenny Lofton Jr., who buried a three-pointer.
McClung did attempt two shots before being subbed out after four minutes. He missed a three-pointer on his first attempt, then drove the lane and missed a reverse layup.
But after returning, McClung buried a 16-foot jumper. Two possessions later, he drained a 24-foot three. Then after a Team Joakim turnover, he pushed the ball up the court before assisting on Leonard Miller’s layup.
He was far from finished.
McClung added a layup and a three-pointer to close the gap to 28-27, forcing Team Joakim to call a timeout.
“It was fun,” he said of the stretch. “Obviously, it’s a lot of nerves when you first get out there. I felt good. Like I always say, I know who I am. So I just believe in myself. We got on a roll. Teammates were finding me. So it was a lot of fun.”
He did, however, have a play that he would have loved to do over. McClung caught a lob on the baseline and missed a dunk underneath the basket.
“Hopefully I got that miss out,” said McClung, who is competing in Saturday night’s Slam Dunk contest. “So hopefully we can take the misses out from here. But it was great.”