Dinwiddie irked he wasn’t invited to show off Skills
Spencer Dinwiddie doesn’t consider himself an All-Star Game snub. He never expected to be selected. The Nets’ high-scoring guard wasn’t even allowed to defend his 2018 Skills Challenge crown. That’s what irks him.
“Look at it like this: I won the Skills Challenge and didn’t get invited back,” Dinwiddie said after the Nets’ 133-118 win over the Bulls at Barclays Center on Friday night. “What does that f---in’ say? Have you ever met a winner of an award not get invited back? Now that s--t is pretty crazy. Folks don’t care about me. I’m Spencer. Quit playin.’ ”
Dinwiddie is scoring a career-best 21.4 points per game, along with 6.5 assists and 3.3 rebounds. In 33 starts, he is averaging 23.0 points and 7.1 assists, keeping the Nets afloat while Kyrie Irving and Caris LeVert missed significant time. But, as Dinwiddie said, he never planned to be in Chicago the weekend of Feb. 14-16.
“I told you guys, it’s a popularity contest,” he said.
Coach Kenny Atkinson believed not only should Dinwiddie have made it, but Irving was deserving as well, despite appearing in just 19 of the Nets’ 47 games so far.
“The All-Star voting stuff, I wanted Spencer bad. I wanted Kyrie even thought he was out [28] games,” Atkinson said. “We could see when Kyrie was out what a difference he makes, and he’s a darn exciting player, he and Spencer. Quite honestly I’m a little disappointed they didn’t make it.”
➤ Center Jarrett Allen had five of the Nets’ 31 assists, including a behind-the-back dish for a Joe Harris 3-pointer. Allen had recently asked Atkinson if he was OK with him taking more risks on the court, and the Nets coach said he wanted him to do so.
“The talent’s there, he’s just got to get the confidence to make plays like that,” Atkinson said.
“The bench went probably more crazy for that than just about anything,” Dinwiddie said.
➤ NBA draft prospect LaMelo Ball took in the game. He was playing professionally in Australia before a left foot injury cut his season short. The 6-foot-7 point guard, the younger brother of Pelicans point guard Lonzo Ball, is considered one of the top players in June’s draft and could be a Knicks target.
➤ Before the game, the Nets assigned Dzanan Musa and Theo Pinson to their G-League affiliate, the Long Island Nets.