Three weeks ago, San Antonio native and Austin Spurs guard Stanley Umude was cut by the team and was looking for his next opportunity.
Tonight, Umude found himself back in Austin, catching an alley-oop from teammate forward Kyle Mangas with 6:55 left in the first quarter to highlight a standout offensive performance in a 122-119 victory for the Spurs over the Texas Legends at the H-E-B Center in Cedar Park.
Umude made his return to the Austin crowd to prove why he belongs, leading the Spurs with 21 points.
“Just coming back, trying to do what I can to help the team win. And, it’s a good group of guys, so it’s easy to come back like that,” Umude said.
Everything was clicking offensively for the Spurs tonight, which may be in part due to some key returns for the team over the last two weeks. Along with Umude, Spurs guard Elfrid Payton rejoined the team after he was selected to participate in the USA Basketball Men’s World Cup Qualifier.
“It’s been good to get back and get back in rotation with them and try to get a run into the playoffs,” Payton said.
Payton offers an elite level of experience and knowledge to young, rising stars on the team, as he spent eight seasons in the NBA for multiple teams.
The Legends began to build some momentum in the fourth quarter to attempt their comeback, but the composure and patience from Payton’s veteran teachings kept the Spurs in control of the game they wanted to play.
“For me, it’s having another coach on the floor, so it’s very nice,” head coach Jacob Chance said. “(Payton’s) ability to push the pace right now has been a good difference factor for us. So it’s been great.”
Austin having all of their rotational guys back for this game proved the saying that teamwork makes the dream work. Not to go unnoticed, Legends forward Dalano Banton had his way in the paint tonight with 32 points, but the team’s performance fell just short.
On the Spurs side, while Umude led the team in points, six players scored double-digits in the victory. With seven games remaining before the playoffs, that level of chemistry between players will get you far in April.
“It means a lot, a lot of time against other good teams and the margin of error is small, so it’s usually gonna come down to the team that’s the most connected, (going to) make plays down the stretch,” Payton said. “I think we’re moving in the right direction.”
Austin has now won five of their last six games and has all but locked up their spot for an NBA G League playoff bid.
The question now becomes their seeding and opponent for the first round in a Western Conference that has become a five-team race. Their next opponent is one of those teams, a team that beat them in the Western Conference Finals one season ago.
Austin will face the Stockton Kings at 3:00 p.m at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park this Sunday, March 15.