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Michigan NBA Update: Glenn Robinson III and Nik Stauskas Meet in Detroit

The former teammates clashed when Stauskas’ Cavs visited Robinson’s Pistons on Saturday.

NBA: Detroit Pistons at Cleveland Cavaliers Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Nik Stauskas and Glenn Robinson III partly formed the closest thing this generation’s Michigan fans have seen to the Fab Five. They were two of the five freshman (Mitch McGary, Spike Albrecht and Caris Levert the other three) that helped the 2013 team reach John Beilein’s first NCAA final.

One of the stops before that Final Four was at the old Palace of Auburn Hills. The Wolverines dispatched both South Dakota State and Virginia Commonwealth by double-digits.

While they traded Auburn Hills for Little Caesar’s Arena in Detroit, Stauskas and Robinson found themselves back in Pistons stadium together again this past weekend. The latter’s Pistons destroyed the former’s Cleveland Cavaliers 129-93 on Saturday.

They both produced their best outings in several weeks. Robinson III scored six points, his first since Feb. 8, snagged four boards and swatted two shots. He has helped the 31-31 Pistons get back to .500 basketball.

Meanwhile, Stauskas notched eight points, his most since joining Cleveland back in early February. He added three rebounds in 17 minutes of playing time.

The former Wolverine gunner is averaging 5.8 points a game off 34 percent shooting from behind the arc. His career-high average is 9.5 per game in 2016-17 with the Sixers.

For several pictures of the two in action, check out Jay Sarkar’s photo gallery on The Wolverine Lounge.


Stauskas and Robinson III weren’t the only two former Wolverines to meet this past weekend. Brooklyn guard Caris LeVert shared the court with Miami wing Duncan Robinson.

LeVert is still struggling to adjust to increased minutes after sitting much of the year with a dislocated foot. He managed just eight points in 117-88 blowout defeat Saturday. He did dish out six assists, but coach Kenny Atkinson needs him to regain his shooting touch.

“The shooting numbers are down. It’s just that basketball feel you have. It just takes time,” Atkinson said to the New York Daily News. “I don’t see him looking slow or timid. None of that. I don’t see that effect. It’s just that touch, that feel. You only way you get it back is to play more NBA minutes.”

Meanwhile, Robinson has carved out a role similar to the one he had in Ann Arbor: make threes. He did precisely that in the win, canning two en route to six points.

The last alumni to meet this weekend were Phoenix Suns guard Jamal Crawford and Los Angeles Laker forward Moe Wagner. Neither made the stat line in the 118-109 upset by the Suns.

Crawford, an 18-year NBA vet, did excel in a 16-point performance in a 124-121 squeaker over the Heat.

Last, but not least, Tim Hardaway, Jr. put together a pair of 20-point efforts last Monday and Wednesday for the Dallas Mavericks. The first was not enough in a 9-point loss to the Clippers. The second contributed to a 9-point win over the Pacers.