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Jared McCain reluctantly pays up on Kentucky-Duke bet with Justin Edwards
By Mark Kern
Published:
On Wednesday night, Jared McCain had the best game of his young NBA career as he scored 34 points and had 10 assists in the Philadelphia 76ers 114-106 loss to the 13-0 Cleveland Cavaliers.
He was drafted with the 16th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft after playing one season at Duke.
Before his big performance against the Cavaliers, McCain had to pay up on a bet with teammate and former Kentucky Wildcat Justin Edwards after their former schools played on Tuesday night.
that blue blood rivalry runs deep.
cc: @Jedwards3_ , @J_mccain_24 pic.twitter.com/ZzogFLPdOO
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) November 13, 2024
Kentucky and Duke played in the Champions Classic, with the Wildcats winning the game 77-72. The Blue Devils were up 46-37 at the half, but the Wildcats outscored them 40-26 to pull away for the win.
During his lone season in Durham last year, McCain averaged 14.3 PPG and 5.0 RPG while shooting 41.4% on 3s.
The 76ers are off to one of the most disappointing starts in the NBA, as they are now 2-9 on the season. The team had major expectations entering this season, as Paul George joined Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid to form arguably the best trio in the NBA.
However, those 3 players are yet to play in the same game this year, with Embiid’s game on Monday night being his first game of the year. These injuries have forced McCain to step into more of a scoring role, and his 13.5 PPG are most for any rookie in the NBA.