Tag: Pro Ducks

Chris Duarte has historic NBA debut for Indiana Pacers

Chris Duarte made history for the Pacers on Wednesday night, with his 27 points being the most by a rookie in a debut performance.

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Do you think former Oregon Ducks star Chris Duarte is ready for the big leagues?

In his first NBA action on Wednesday night playing for the Indiana Pacers, Duarte made history scoring 27 points with 5 rebounds and 1 assist in 33 minutes. That is the most points scored by a rookie in their debut for the Pacers, and also the most three-pointers (6) in a debut as well.

Duarte started at the guard position for Indiana and was a regular member of the rotation in the eventual loss to the Charlotte Hornets. In the first half, he even provided a nice highlight with a buzzer-beater to close the first quarter.

Many people were claiming that Duarte was one of the top steals of the draft, going to the Pacers at No. 13. It appears, if his first career game is any indication, that these projections were correct.

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Justin Herbert leads Chargers to 4th quarter comeback over Chiefs

Former Oregon Ducks quarterback Justin Herbert threw four touchdown passes in the Chargers come from behind win over Kansas City on Sunday.

Former Oregon Ducks quarterback Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers shocked the NFL world on Sunday when they came from behind to defeat the defending AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs, in Kansas City, by a score of 30-24.

The game was wild from start to finish but got exceptionally goofy in the fourth quarter, with four different lead changes and several uncharacteristic mistakes leading to a win for Los Angeles.

Herbert was outstanding, outdueling Mahomes by completing 26-of-38 passes for 281 yards and four touchdowns, along with zero interceptions.

It was not only Herbert’s first game with multiple passing touchdowns this season, it was also his first without an interception.

Herbert threw a pair of touchdowns in quick succession in the second quarter but was otherwise quiet until the final fifteen minutes.

A 20-yard strike to Mike Williams gave the Chargers a lead with 13:39 remaining in the game, but Mahomes struck back with a touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman to give Kansas City a lead with 6:43 remaining.

Herbert lead Los Angeles on a 10-play, 69-yard drive next, and a Tristan Vizcaino field goal tied things up with 2:14 remaining.

Mahomes threw his second interception of the game on the following drive, and Herbert marched his team down the field and hit Williams again in the end zone, which gave his team a 30-24 lead with 0:32 seconds left on the clock.

The decision to hit Williams in the end zone raised some eyebrows, especially after color commentator and former NFL quarterback Tony Romo criticized the play-call. Romo believed the Chargers should have run the clock down and gone for a touchdown with less than 10 seconds remaining, rather than giving Mahomes multiple chances to steal the game.

It ultimately did not matter, however, as Mahomes’ desperation hail mary fell short and the Chargers moved to 2-1 on the season in Herbert’s finest performance of the season to date – even if he was a little unsure of the result:

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WATCH: Eugene Omoruyi doing it all in NBA Summer League action

Former Duck Eugene Omoruyi had a great game in the NBA Summer League with a 16-point, six-rebound performance for the Dallas Mavericks.

While all the attention went to Chris Duarte going in the first round of the NBA draft, and rightly so, it’s easy to forget that Eugene Omoruyi is also a budding NBA talent.

Forget no more.

Playing for the Dallas Mavericks summer league team, Omoruyi is definitely showing out, especially in the sequence above. Never giving up on a possession, something he obviously learned in Dana Altman’s system, Omoruyi ran down Philadelphia’s Paul Reed and pinned a would-be shot off the glass.

But the former Duck wasn’t satisfied.

Omoruyi ran back down the floor and managed to hit a fade-away jumper in the middle of the lane. Although the Mavs went down to the tune of a 95-73 score, Omoruyi poured in 16 points and brought down six rebounds.

 

In Detroit, Penei Sewell and Tyrell Crosby will compete for starting spot amidst trade rumors

After becoming friends while playing at Oregon, Tyler Crosby and Penei Sewell will now be competing for a starting spot on the line in Detroit.

Entering a contract season, fourth-year offensive lineman Tyrell Crosby could have been salty when the Detroit Lions drafted what seems to be his replacement on the offensive line. However, when the former Oregon Duck learned that his college teammate Penei Sewell would be joining him in the Motor City, there was nothing but smiles.

“Seeing him when he got drafted, I was probably one of the happiest people on Earth, because that was my friend who got drafted and I couldn’t be more proud of him,” Crosby said, via SB Nation’s Pride of Detroit.

However, that happiness could lead to turmoil for Crosby, who has now been involved in some trade rumors as the Lions look to fill out their offensive front. With Taylor Decker at the left tackle spot, there is a strong belief that Sewell will switch over to right tackle, taking the position from Crosby.

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Instead of taking it personally, Crosby is choosing to control what he can, and let it all play out on the field.

“Really haven’t heard much from the front office or anything about it,” Crosby said. “So I’m just here excited and thankful to be here and just compete.”

Crosby’s contract with Detroit is up after this season, and his future remains unknown. Whether he gets a chance to further prove his worth on the field this season is yet to be seen, but he is going to do whatever is asked of him, and enjoy the company of his close friend, in the meantime.

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