Michigan NBA Update: Moe Wagner Starts for Lakers, Tallies 22 Points

The Los Angeles Lakers are all but eliminated from the NBA Playoffs. At 30-36 and 7.5 games out of the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference, head coach Luke Walton is ramping down minutes for starters.

Enter rookie Moe Wagner, the 2018 first-round draft pick. After extensive minutes in Wednesday’s 16-point loss to the Nuggets, the former Wolverine notched his first career start Saturday in a 120-107 loss to the Boston Celtics.

He filled the box score, tallying 22 points, six rebounds, three assists and a block. He played efficiently (only needed 13 shots) and got to the line (7-of-7 on free throws).

Against Denver, he acquitted himself well over 27 minutes. He chipped in 11 points, canning a pair of triples. He also added two assists, including one that denied Lebron James two points on a night he passed Michael Jordan on the NBA All-Time scoring list.

The two double-digit outputs were just his third and fourth of the season. He recorded the other two in December — vs. Phoenix on the 2nd and vs. Washington on the 16th.

On the season, Wagner has averaged 4.1 points and 1.7 boards a night. Expect those numbers to trend upwards as the Lakers rest their main rotation.

Meanwhile, Detroit Pistons wing Glenn Robinson III earned the start in Sunday’s 131-108 destruction of the Chicago Bulls. In 13 minutes, he connected on 1-of-4 shots for just two points, while adding an assist.

He posted a better stat line on Wednesday, turning in a 7-point, 4-rebound effort in the Pistons’ 131-114 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.

The 6-foot-6, 222-pounder has been primarily a defensive stopper in Detroit, but has managed to score four points a contest.

Other Notes

• Dallas Mavericks guard Tim Hardaway, Jr. reached double figures twice. He scored 17 points (7-of-15 from the field) while fouling out in Wednesday’s loss to the Wizards. He followed that up with 15 points (7-of-17) in Friday’s defeat to the Magic.
• His teammate Trey Burke sat two games, as ordered by head coach Rick Carlisle. No injury or illness has been reported, as he appeared in the two other games last week to muster nine combined points.
• Brooklyn Nets guard Caris LeVert submitted his most efficient performance since returning from his gruesome ankle/foot injury. In a rout over Dallas on Monday, he put up 18 points on just 11 shots. He added five boards and five dimes, as well.
• Cleveland Cavaliers guard Nik Stauskas drained 4-of-8 triples in two games last week. Since leaving Portland for Ohio a few weeks ago, he had hit just 4 of his first 15 attempts entering the week. This led to 14 combined points, which boosted his season average to 5.8 points a contest.