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Mason Plumlee impresses in the second half of the Rising Stars Challenge, but Team Webber loses: 142-136

By Reed Wallach
Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Mason Plumee had his natonal coming out party Friday night as he represented Team Webber in the Rising Stars Challenge. The rookie seven-footer finished with 20 points on 10-of-13 shooting, including five dunks, as well as seven rebounds, four steals and a monster block on Andre Drummond late in the game. And all of it in less than 20 minutes. Plumlee, in fact, played a role in three of the top 10 highlights of the night ... at Nos. 5, 6, and 7.

However, his team lost, 142-136, to Team Hill due to big outings from Drummond and Dion Waiters.

"I wish we could’ve won," Plumlee said after the game. "It was fun to play, but I’m glad it wasn’t a blowout."

After not playing much in the first half, Plumlee played a majority of the second half. He didn't check in until just under the 10-minute mark and his first possession consisted of Mason taking his brother, Miles, off the dribble and leaving a hook shot short.

Plumlee's first bucket came at around the 7:30 mark when he put back a Trey Burke jumper with one hand. Plumlee was feeling out the tempo of the game early, playing point guard in transition a few times and making a nice steal in the backcourt, but didn't do much in his first few minutes of action. Even though Plumlee was one of the few who matched Drummond's intensity in the first half, the Detroit center had 17 points and 11 rebounds. In the first, he only played about six minutes, the lowest amount of all the players in the game. All of Plumlee's points in the first half came from his three dunks and he had four steals to go along with three rebounds.

In the second half, Plumlee was the last one on Team Webber's team to come off the bench once again, this time at the 12:30 mark. Mason went over Miles this time on his first attempt in the second half, knocking down a nice baby hook off the glass. In an interesting turn of events, Mason grabbed a rebound, rushed down the floor, lobbed a pass to Anthony Davis, who almost threw down a monster slam, but had it tipped by Miles. After that, Mason caught the ball in mid-air and threw it down. My head hurts just typing that.

Plumlee threw down his first BIG dunk of the night off of a back screen for Trey Burke. As Plumlee threw it down, Chris Webber shouted, "Pogo Sticks!" Mighty Mase got up so high that his head was just under the rim and he put it down with some force.

After returning to the game in the second half, Plumlee didn't sit in the second half —until the final 20 ticks— and it was well deserved. The Nets center continued to showcase hustle and his high flying ability despite not being a game that favored the prior.

Plumlee's total was the second most for the Nets in a Rookie-Sophomore game, second to Richard Jefferson, who scored a franchise record of 21 as a second year player. RJ had been snubbed as a rookie.

Throughout the game, Chris Webber and Grant Hill praised Plumlee's play with Webber claiming Mason was "his mother's favorite."  At one point, TNT showed childhood photos of Mason and Miles.

In non-Nets news out of the game, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Waiters had an insane back-and-forth during the later stages of the second half that had the game turn into a three-point shootout between the two of them, each hitting back-to-back threes from way beyond the arc. The two got into another shooting bout a few minutes later, but it seemed that Waiters would win. As mentioned before, Drummond was an absolute animal tonight. He finished with 30 points and 25 rebounds, a game record. Drummond was also named the game's MVP but alas, the trophy broke.

Next up of Nets interest: the D-League 3 point shooting contest on NBA TV at 3 p.m. Adonis Thomas of the Armor will participate. It's part of the NBA D-League All Star Game and Boost Mobile Dream Factory . Then at 5 p.m., it's back to the Plumlee brothers when Mason and Miles participate in a Google Hangout with the Plumlee Brothers, on NetsDaily, hosted by Dexter Henry.

Finally at 8:30, there's the State Farm All-Star Saturday Night on TNT. Joe Johnson will compete in the three-point shooting contest

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