Cavaliers Now

De'Andre Hunter and Ty Jerome Both Score 20+ in NBA/UVA Duel

Matt Newton

David Richard-Imagn Images
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Thursday night's NBA game between the Atlanta Hawks and Cleveland Cavaliers was an appetizing matchup to watch for UVA basketball fans, as former Virginia teammates De'Andre Hunter and Ty Jerome both delivered exceptional performances off the bench for their respective teams, with Hunter scoring 25 points and Jerome contributing 20 points and six assists to help the league-leading Cavs to another win.

With the game airing on national television (TNT), Jerome and Hunter put on a show off the bench, reminding everyone of just how talented the 2019 Virginia National Championship team was. Hunter finished with 25 points on 6/13 shooting from the floor and a perfect 12/12 from the charity stripe to go along with five rebounds, two assists, and one steal. Jerome, meanwhile, had 20 points on 9/11 shooting and recorded six assists to just one turnover, two rebounds, and two steals.

This is the second game in a row that Jerome has had 20 points, as he also recorded 20 points and seven assists in Cleveland's road victory at Miami on Wednesday night. Jerome's Cavs have the best record in the NBA at 39-9, while Hunter's Hawks are currently the 9th seed in the Eastern Conference at 22-26.

Both Hunter and Jerome have had career performances recently. Hunter matched a career-high with 35 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves on January 27th, becoming just the second reserve player in the league to score 35 points in a game this season, joining the Orlando Magic's Cole Anthony.

On January 25th against the Philadelphia 76ers, Jerome had an outstanding showing of historic proportion as he became just the 11th player in NBA history, and second this season (Steph Curry), to make eight threes in a game without a single miss. Jerome finished that game with a career-high 33 points on 11/14 shooting, 8/8 from three, three assists, three rebounds, and two steals, becoming the first reserve in NBA history to have that stat line.

Jerome has had seven games with 20 or more points this season and is averaging a career-high 11.3 points per game in his first season with the Cavaliers. Hunter leads all NBA reserves with 19 games with at least 20 points per game and has increased his career-best scoring average by more than four points, as he is averaging 19.3 points per game and shooting a career-high 38.7% from beyond the arc.

De'Andre Hunter is currently second in the latest odds to win the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year Award, trailing only Payton Pritchard of the Boston Celtics. Ty Jerome recently cracked the top 10 of those odds and currently has the eighth-best odds to win Sixth Man of the Year.

Read More on Former UVA Athletes in the Pros

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Matt Newton
MATT NEWTON

Matt launched Virginia Cavaliers On SI in August of 2021 and has since served as the site's publisher and managing editor, covering all 23 NCAA Division I sports teams at the University of Virginia. He is from Downingtown, Pennsylvania and graduated from UVA in May of 2021.