Ryan Kelly’s 30 points power the D-Fenders to first win
Ryan Kelly led the D-Fenders (1-2) to their first victory of the season, a 131-96 win over the Bakersfield Jam (1-4) on Sunday.
On assignment in the Development League, the Lakers’ rookie forward scored a game-high 30 points on eight-of-18 shooting. He also tallied seven rebounds and five steals while hitting 13 of 14 attempts at the free-throw line.
Through three games, Kelly is averaging 25 points a game with the D-Fenders, with eight rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.3 steals. Though his outside shot hasn’t been characteristically on target (two of 11 from three-point range, 18.2%), he’s hit 52.5% (21-40) within the arc.
The Lakers left Kelly behind with the D-Fenders last week while on a three-game road trip, giving Kelly the opportunity to play big minutes in the Development League (38.3 a night).
The Lakers are off until they visit the Sacramento Kings on Friday night. The D-Fenders don’t play until Friday with another visit to the Jam.
Kelly will presumably jump back and forth between leagues this week, practicing with both teams.
So far this season, Kelly has made just two appearances with the Lakers, for a total of seven minutes.
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Email Eric Pincus at eric.pincus@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @EricPincus.
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