Mo Wagner & Rui Hachimura Balled Out in Rising Stars Challenge

Wizards fans won’t be seeing Bradley Beal in the NBA All-Star Game, but there was a small consolation prize on Friday night in the Rising Stars Challenge. The two guys the Wiz sent to the game — Rui Hachimura and Moritz Wagner — balled out with 30 combined points on 13-for-20 shooting (65 percent).

Sure, Team World (their squad) got throttled by Team USA, but these things aren’t about wins and losses? They’re about the rising stars, and both dudes have a chance to be a part of the rebuild in Washington. I mean, that’s gotta start sooner or later, amirite?

Mo Wagner was the leading scorer off the bench for Team World, dropping 16 points in just 16 minutes. Disregard his -28 plus/minus. The former Michigan stud went 6-for-9 from the field with a three-pointer and three made free throws.

Rui was one of the starters for Team World. He had 14 points on 7-for-11 shooting with seven boards and four dimes. That’s his game; he’s an all-around player…and he even plays defense. There wasn’t a ton of D in this game, but just in general — he can clamp dudes down. Rui finished with a -1 plus/minus.

Miles Bridges took home the MVP Award, leading Team USA to a 151-131 win with a healthy 20-point, 5-rebound, 5-assists, and 3-steal stat-line. He’s also one of the best dunkers around, so that played into the MVP.

For DMV sports fans, you can still check out Wizards sharpshooter Dāvis Bertāns and former Virginia star Joe Harris in the 3-Point Contest on Saturday night. Harris won the event last year. You can find all the betting odds for Saturday’s events here.