Spurs' Stephon Castle beats out Dalton Knecht to win Rising Stars MVP
Today at 12:33 AM
The Rising Stars Game has come to a close, but the showpiece of the opening night of NBA All-Star Weekend delivered the drama. After Team C cruised in its semifinal and Team G League pulled off a stunner to make the final, it was Dalton Knecht, Stephon Castle and Team C who took home the trophy with a 25-14 victory to advance to the official All-Star festivities on Sunday night.
Castle was the star of the show in the final, finishing with 12 points, three rebounds and two assists in just under eight minutes on court. His stellar performance to lead his team to victory earned him the Rising Stars MVP award at the end of the night.
Castle was also very good in the first game of the evening, though his scoring impact wasn’t quite the same. In that one, a 40-34 win over Team T, the UConn product scored six points and added four rebounds and four assists.
Knecht also had a very good night, opening the scoring for Team C in the semifinals and throwing down a huge dunk in that game as well. However, in the title game, Knecht shot just 2-for-5 with five points, so Castle’s excellence in that one gave him the nod for the award in the end.
Team C isn’t done here after winning these two games. They will fill the fourth and final spot in the All-Star Game on Sunday night where they will take on Shaq’s OGs led by some of the game’s greats such as LeBron James and Stephen Curry. Obviously, Team C is a massive underdog in that matchup, but it will still be a great opportunity for the young guys to go out and show off their skills.
As for Stephon Castle, this performance is just a continuation of a stellar rookie season that has put him right in the middle of the Rookie of the Year race. He has been vital for the Spurs on the defensive end of the floor and is a big reason why they have a chance to make the playoffs this season. Now, he can potentially use this momentum as a springboard into the last few months of the regular season and beyond.
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