Killian Hayes wants to remind everyone he’s an NBA player.
The Long Island Nets returned to the court on Friday night to face the Memphis Hustle in their final “home” game as “Les Nets” in suburban Montreal.
So did Killian Hayes. The 23-year-old 6’5” point guard wasted little time making his presence felt again … as Long Island walked out of Canada with a 3-3 record, defeating Memphis, 130-116.
Hayes finished with a career professional high of 38 points that included another personal best: eight 3-pointers. Not bad for a player who finished dead last in effective shooting percentage his first three years in the league and was unceremoniously waived by the Pistons whose then-GM specifically cited his shooting woes in dumping him.
After the Brooklyn Nets decided not to renew Hayes for a second 10-day contract on March 2, Hayes decided to rejoin the G-League affiliate. The game was a message to the league and specifically the Nets. Hayes notched a new pro career-high in points (38) as well as field goals made (15.) He tied a career high in field goals attempted (25) and his eight for 14 shooting from beyond the arc was a personal best for min in the NBA or G League.
Hayes also registered five rebounds and six assists, continuing to show that not only can he score, but he can also get his teammates involved as well, particularly Drew Timme. In short, he not only picked up right where it left off before he got called up. He moved beyond that.
As the G League’s official Twitter feed noted…
Killian Hayes went off for a career-high 38 points, delivering a performance to remember and leading@LongIslandNets to victory.
Memphis had three players drop 20+, including two double-doubles! It took every member of this Nets squad to come out on top.
Drew Timme:… pic.twitter.com/EsGQnrcr54
— NBA G League (@nbagleague) March 15, 2025
Hayes is still eligible for another 10-day contract between now and the end of the season. In his first 10-day, Hayes had games of 16 and 19 points and averaged 9.0 points and 5.2 assists on shooting splits of 42/38/88 in six games.
The Nets currently have an open roster spot.
Drew Timme had another big scoring night with 28 points. Timme connected on nine of his 14 shot attempts and made two of three from beyond the arc. He like Hayes had a reputation for not being able to hit deep shots but in last five games, he’s shot 47.3%. Unlike his previous G League stop in Stockton, the Long Island coaching staff encourages him to shoot threes.
Timme also picked up eight rebounds and six assists, flirting with another triple-double. He had two steals to cement his solid day on the court.
Tosan Evbuomwan, still on a two-way, finished the game with a double-double: 17 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
The Nets two-way made his presence felt elsewhere on the scoresheet, picking up four assists, two steals and a block.
Tyson Etienne, the Nets other two-way on assignment to Long Island, connected on seven of his 10 shots, finishing with 15 points. Terry Roberts picked up 13 points and nine assists, coming very close to another double-double. Roberts had filled in for Hayes during his time with Brooklyn.
Dariq Whitehead continued his hot-and-cold season as he finished his day in Canada with just seven points, 24 hours after leading his team in points with 23. Whitehead connected on just three of his nine shot attempts, going one-for-five from deep.
The Long Island Nets arguably played their best quarter of the entire season in the first. They tied a franchise record by picking up 48 points and taking a 17-point lead into the second. Memphis outscored Long Island in the second, 34-20, but the Nets still took a three-point lead into the half.
Both teams picked up 32 points in the third to keep the game close, entering the fourth. Long Island was able to thwart off Memphis who lost their sixth straight. And no, there were no fireworks in this one.
Hustle guard DJ Steward posted 25 points, four rebounds, seven assists and two steals in 36 minutes. Memphis forward Nate Hinton added a double-double with 25 points and 10 rebounds in addition to two assists and two steals in 38 minutes.
The game drew 7,428 fans to Place Bell, the third highest attendance in franchise history.
Next Up
The Long Island Nets (14-14), who are now back to .500, return to the court on Tuesday, March 18th, to square off with the Wisconsin Herd (14-13). The game tips off at 7:00 p.m. ET and can be watched on ESPN+.