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Sam Hauser Scores Career-High 26 Points in Celtics' Win Over Raptors

Hauser was one of several former UVA basketball stars to have great games in the NBA on Friday night

Matt Newton

Boston Celtics

The final week of the NBA regular season has seen nearly every former Virginia men's basketball player at the professional level deliver at least one outstanding performance. On Friday night, it was Sam Hauser and Trey Murphy III who were the leading scorers in their respective games, while Jay Huff recorded his third-straight game in double figures and De'Andre Hunter had a solid showing in his return from injury. 

Read a summary of each of these standout performances from former Virginia men's basketball players below:

Sam Hauser

Sam Hauser earned a spot in the starting lineup for the sixth time this season and he made the most of the opportunity, leading all scorers and recording a new-career high with 26 points to lead the Boston Celtics to a 121-102 victory over the Toronto Raptors. In 37 minutes of action, Hauser shot 10/16 from the floor, made six of his 12 three-point attempts, collected five rebounds, and dished out two assists. The six three-pointers were hardly a surprise for the sharpshooter, but Hauser also had three dunks in the game, which he admitted afterwards was the most dunks he's had in a game since high school. 

Per Taylor Snow of the Celtics, Hauser has played at least 30 minutes in seven games this season and has scored in double figures in all seven of those games, including three 20-point performances. 

Trey Murphy III

Trey Murphy III followed up his 30-point performance in the Pelicans' comeback win over the Grizzlies on Wednesday with another great game on Friday as he scored a game-high 31 points to go along with three rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block to lead the Pelicans to a 113-105 win over the Knicks. Murphy knocked down three three-pointers and made all eight of his free throws to help New Orleans win another pivotal game to keep pace in the very tight Western Conference playoff race. The Pelicans are now 5-0 this season when Murphy III scores at least 30 points. 

Jay Huff

Jay Huff is having himself one heck of a week. After being named the G League Defensive Player of the Year on Tuesday, Huff has appeared in three games in the NBA for the Wizards since then and has scored in double figures in all three of those games. On Friday night, Huff recorded 13 points on 4/7 shooting, including 1/2 from beyond the arc and 4/4 from the charity stripe, as well as four rebounds, two assists, and a block. Without a doubt, Huff had the flashiest play of the game, punctuating the Wizards' 114-108 win over the Heat with a 360 dunk in transition. 

This week's games represent the first time that Jay Huff has gotten a real opportunity to play extended minutes at the NBA and so far, he's checked all of the boxes to show that he is an NBA-caliber center. 

De'Andre Hunter

After missing nearly two weeks with an injury, De'Andre Hunter returned to the lineup for the Atlanta Hawks and quietly had a solid performance with 14 points, four rebounds, one assist and one steal. He shot 6/11 from the floor and played 27 minutes in the Hawks' 136-131 overtime loss to the 76ers. More importantly, Hunter shook off the rust with just a few days left until the NBA postseason begins. 

Mamadi Diakite (Thursday)

We're one day late on this one, but Mamadi Diakite deserves some recognition for the performance he gave in his first NBA game playing more than 20 minutes since November. Diakite played nearly 24 minutes for the Cleveland Cavaliers in their win at the Orlando Magic on Thursday night and recorded a career-high with 13 points on 5/7 shooting to go along with eight rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block. 

As the only basketball player to ever win an NCAA national title, a G League championship, and an NBA championship, NBA franchises should be seriously considering giving Mamadi Diakite more chances like this to prove himself. 

Stay up to date on all the former Virginia athletes playing at the professional level here: Pro Hoos on Sports Illustrated

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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.

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