Sandfort brothers’ whirlwind 24 hours: An NBA debut, then Nebraska’s first NCAA win

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OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Pryce Sandfort and his brother, Payton, achieved two basketball firsts in a whirlwind 24-hour window.

First, Payton Sandfort made his NBA debut and scored his first points on a 3-pointer for the Oklahoma City Thunder in a 121-92 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night.

On Thursday, Pryce Sandfort scored 23 points and helped Nebraska win its first NCAA Tournament game, 76-47 over Troy.

Pryce said Wednesday that he did not expect Payton to make it to the game at Paycom Center, where the Thunder play their home games.

“He was lying to me this whole week,” Pryce said. “He told had me he wasn’t going to be able to make it. I’m telling everybody that. I’m telling the media that. Then he shows up and I see him in the stands 10 minutes before the game.”

To be fair, Payton Sandfort didn’t know until the past few days that it might work out. He got called up to the Thunder from their G League affiliate a few weeks ago, and Oklahoma City is on a long trip, so he didn’t expect to be able to return. He explained the situation to the Thunder organization and praised the franchise for working something out.

Still, the plan wasn't easy to execute. Payton said Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander took the team out to dinner on Wednesday night and he didn't get back to the team hotel until the early-morning hours. He took a taxi at 3:30 a.m. and made a 6:50 a.m. flight out of New York.

“I’m running out of pure adrenaline right now,” Payton said.

Payton wore a white shirt with red lettering and his brother’s No. 21. Pryce might have gotten an early jolt from seeing his brother — he scored 17 points in the first half.

“Yeah, it was unreal seeing him up there and the support I got from my family," Pryce said.

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