The Capital City Go-Go learned one thing or two things Thursday night at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park: don’t allow Austin Spurs point guard Kyle Mangas to be open for an easy bucket — or guard Jayden Nunn, for that matter.
The duo of Mangas and Nunn “quarterbacked” Austin’s offense, combining for 47 points in the Spurs’ narrow 110-103 victory over the Go-Go.
Nunn, an undrafted rookie from Baylor, secured his season-high 23 points while coming off the bench tonight. The G League rookie gave all the flowers for his performance to his teammates.
“My teammates (are) pushing me to be better on and off the court,” Nunn said. “They put me in position to score and give me confidence.”
Nunn opened up the game with the hot hand and, by the end of the first half, the rookie from Baylor was outpacing his teammates in points with 15 on the night, with his hands all over the court on both sides.
With the ball in his possession, Nunn rested on the perimeter of the three-point line, eyeing up his shot in the grill of Go-Go forward Keshon Gilbert. Nunn crossed him up, breaking Gilbert’s ankles and banking the three-point shot.
Although the defense was not the most prominent component of his game tonight, Nunn’s steal in the second quarter led to a possession change, and his toss to Spurs forward Harrison Ingram created a big-time posterized dunk.
“(Jayden is) a team player, but he’s also a bucket,” Mangas said. “He can shoot the three, can go inside, make plays with the ball. He can guard too, I think that’s probably the most underrated part of his game.”
After failing to score a point in the third quarter, when Austin needed him the most, Nunn was able to deliver. He scored eight points in the final quarter of the game, as the Spurs took over and went on a 15-2 run over the Go-Go.
“(Nunn’s) shown that he can play in those big games playing in those big moments,” Austin Spurs head coach Jacob Chance said.
But there was no relief on the offensive end for the Capital City defense when Nunn went dry during the third quarter. Mangas, the Spurs’ starting point guard, was able to pick up the pieces on the offensive end, keeping pace with the Go-Go during their run in the third quarter.
Mangas closed his night with a team-leading 24 points, with the majority of his contribution coming in the second half.
“I honestly just try to fly around and cause confusion on the defense and create advantages for my team,” Mangas said. “That’s what I tried to do, and that’s how the game should be played. You know, balls moving around, balls flying around when it’s fun.”
Austin will complete its back-to-back against Capital City tomorrow night at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park at 7 p.m. CT.
