Drummond’s big double- double highlights Rising Stars

NEW ORLEANS — Andre Drummond grabbed everything in sight, even that MVP trophy that came apart.

Drummond had 30 points and a Rising Stars Challenge- record 25 rebounds, leading Team Hill to a 142- 136 victory over Team Webber on Friday night.

Coach Nate McMillan said general manager Grant Hill talked to his team before the game about performing like Denver’s Kenneth Faried, who had 40 points and 10 rebounds while winning MVP honors last year.

The message got through to Drummond, who grabbed 14 offensive rebounds.

“Drummond had in his mind that he was going to go out and play the game hard,” said McMillan, an assistant to Indiana coach Frank Vogel.

“Every rebound that came off the board, he wanted. A few of them he took from his teammates, but I liked his aggressiveness.”

Besides an impressive tally of dunks and rebounds, Drummond even managed to make his free throws. A 41 percent shooter during the regular season, the Detroit forward went 6 for 8, including a pair with 29 seconds left after chasing down Bradley Beal’s missed free throw to give his team a five- point lead.

He eventually got to hoist the MVP trophy, though not before it fell to the court when a representative from game sponsor BBVA tried to hand it to him. It comes in two pieces, a star on top of the base, and the presenter was apparently unaware when he grabbed it by the top.

“It happened last year, too, so I wasn’t expecting anything less,” Drummond said. “Usually a slip- up happens every year with the trophy. So I wasn’t too shocked about that.”

Cleveland’s Dion Waiters had 31 points, mostly coming during a 1- on- 1 duel with New York’s Tim Hardaway Jr. in the second half. Beal finished with 21 for Team Hill, picked by former NBA star Hill.