Perkins wins bragging rights (Basketball)
They didn’t play in high school or at the Fairview Rec Center, but Bartlett’s Doron Perkins and East’s Trajan Langdon faced off as professionals last night in Israel.
And Perkins got the better of it.
He flirted with a triple-double as Israeli power Maccabi Tel Aviv issued a 71-54 beatdown of Langdon’s Russian squad, CSKA Moscow, a two-time Euroleague champion.
Perkins, 26, of Santa Clara fame, came off the bench to deliver 7 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists in just 20 minutes.
Maccabi built a 15-point halftime lead and kept the pressure on in the second half, thanks to reserves like Perkins, who did all his scoring in a short spurt with two driving layups near the end of the third quarter and drilling a 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter.
Perkins is turning into the Jason Kidd of Israel, a skillful player capable of collecting a triple-double each night. He proved that exhibition against the Los Angeles Clippers last month when he bagged 16 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.
Langdon, 33, of Duke University fame, had a rare off night Thursday. A first-team all-Euroleague guard and former Finals MVP, he managed only 4 points in 28 minutes. Not only didn’t he score, he barely shot the ball; 1 of 3 from the floor, including 0 for 2 on 3s.
“We showed we can win Euroleague games with our defense … and I want to give credit to Alan Anderson, who defended Langdon very well,” Maccabi coach Pini Gershon told Euroleague.com.
Langdon, in his 11th professional season, has averaged double figures in all seven seasons he’s played overseas. He is averaging 11 points this season.
