Duke basketball brothers took the court together for the first time this season.
Opening night of the 2020-21 season was supposed to be a special day for two Duke basketball brothers, but things didn’t turn out the way many envisioned it.
Tyus and Tre Jones were slated to play each other in the youngest Jones’ first professional basketball game, but the rookie never got off the San Antonio Spurs’ (11-3) bench.
However, Saturday night was the moment the Jones family and all Blue Devil fans have been waiting for: Tyus Jones vs. Tre Jones.
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Tre Jones has not played often for Gregg Popovich and the Spurs in his rookie season since leaving Durham after two seasons.
Popovich opted to get his rookie some minutes at the end of a 129-112 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies (8-6) on Saturday night, though, while Tyus Jones was still on the floor.
Tre Jones missed both his shots from the floor but ended his three minutes with two points from the free throw line in addition to one rebound.
Tyus Jones, a key reserve for the Grizzlies, logged 22 minutes off the bench with eight points and eight assists.
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Playing time has been hard to come by for Tre Jones since leaving Duke, and the San Antonio Spurs made the decision to send their second-round pick to the NBA G-League bubble on Sunday afternoon.
Jones will play for the Austin Spurs after seeing action in nine games this season in the NBA, averaging 3.0 minutes and 2.0 points per game.
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Tyus Jones continues to be one of the best backup point guards in the NBA, averaging 25.6 minutes per game in relief of young star Ja Morant.
The eldest Jones is also posting 8.4 points, 2.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. However, Tyus Jones is on pace to set a career-high in turnovers at 1.0 per game.
San Antonio and Memphis will play the second game of their back-to-back on Monday, February 1 at 8:30pm EST.