Bones Hyland had something special to say about his idol, Allen Iverson, after his splash against the San Antonio Spurs.
Hyland notched 24 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists to help the Denver Nuggets register their sixth win in nine games. The 126-101 win puts them fifth in the Western Conference standings.
Speaking to the media after the win, Hyland’s face had excitement and pride written all over it when asked about how he looked up to Iverson.
"That crossover, the flashiness, the swag, everything… you look up to a guy like AI"
Bones Hyland talks about his admiration for @alleniverson. pic.twitter.com/vUhOJGqpcW
— NBA (@NBA) November 6, 2022
“Of course. Heck yeah,” Hyland said. “That crossover, the flashiness, the swag, everything. You look up to a guy like AI. … I watched AI when I was younger, though, and just watching him on the Sixers was just like, ‘Wow.’ He’s a legend.”
While Hyland is still a far cry from reaching the stage that Iverson did, those watching the game could see his attempts to mimic his favorite.
He may have missed the last couple of games, but he was in red-hot form as he poured 26 points over the Los Angeles Lakers, and will hope to repeat the pyrotechnics against the Spurs again.
Bones Hyland And Denver Nuggets Will Look For Consistency
In the seven games he’s played for the Nuggets, Hyland averages 13.7 points, 1.6 boards, and 4.1 assists.
His style of play, that’s filled with some outrageous dribbles and some shot-making that oozes supreme confidence was not surprising to his coach, Michael Malone. According to The Denver Post, he said:
“This is how Bones plays,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “I’m not gonna take a player and try to make him into John Stockton when he’s not John Stockton.”
Ably assisting Hyland was Nikola Jokic (21 points, 6 rebounds, and 10 assists), along with Michael Porter Jr (15 points and 9 rebounds).
Earlier this week, the Nuggets’ big man, Jokic, made history on Thursday when he passed Wilt Chamberlain for the most triple-doubles for a center in league history.
"It's just not my success. I cannot do it without my teammates."
Nikola on breaking Wilt's record and the game ball 🎙 pic.twitter.com/dBwSZutnU7
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) November 4, 2022
He attributed the success to his team:
“It’s just not my success. I cannot do it without my teammates,” Jokic said.
The Nuggets will face the Spurs again and follow it up with a clash against the Indiana Pacers.
