Sophomores 121, Rookies 113
WASHINGTON — Wally Szczerbiak had a bloody good time Saturday, leaving the floor with a gash under his right eye and the Most Valuable Player award in the Rookie Challenge.
Szczerbiak of the Minnesota Timberwolves scored 27 points to lead a team of second-year NBA players past a rookie squad 121-113 in a fast-paced, above-the-rim game featuring slams, no-look passes, alley-oops and little defense.
Momentarily irritated when Khalid El-Amin accidentally hit him across the face in the second half, Szczerbiak slammed the ball to the floor before breaking into a smile and then slapping hands with El-Amin.
Moments later Szczerbiak was forced to leave the floor with blood dripping from his cheek.
"He just caught me good right under the cheekbone. It'll be OK," said Szczerbiak, who's been bothered by a sore knee and considered not playing.
"Once I reassessed the situation and saw how important it was to the fans and the NBA and pretty much the whole game, why wouldn't I want to come and be a part of it?" he said. "I think that's how most of the guys feel."
The game was part of the All-Star weekend festivities, with the game itself on Sunday.
Local favorite Steve Francis, who left Maryland after his junior season, added 20 points for the second-year team. Quentin Richardson paced the rookies with 20.
Former University of Utah star Andre Miller finished with just 2 points for the sophomores. He did, however, score on a dunk — something he failed to do a year ago and drew the ire of slam-hungry fans in last season's game.
Francis hit three straight 3-pointers, delighting some of his former fans and getting the team of second-year players off and running in the first half.
Before his third trey, Francis rolled the ball on his finger to fake the shot and then moved to the corner where he dared Marc Jackson to guard him before connecting.
Szczerbiak also hit three first-half 3-pointers and scored 15 points to help the sophomores pull out to a 10-point lead. He finished with five 3-pointers, while shooting 11-of-13 from the field.
"I can't do junk like those guys," Szczerbiak said. "I had to do something in order to put on a show. A lot of guys want to high fly and dunk. What I do best is knock down the shots."
Darius Miles, who went straight from high school to the NBA, was 6-for-6 from the field in the first half — all on dunks. He added a seventh in the second half and could have had an eighth in the closing seconds when the sophomores backed off and let him fly through the lane. But he missed.
In a show of solidarity, the rookie team all sported headbands, including Mike Miller, who wore his like an ear warmer.