Former Franklin High School standout Luke Kennard warmed up for Saturday's 3-point contest by making 8-of-9 from 3-point range in the Los Angeles Clippers' 142-111 win Thursday night against the Houston Rockets.
Kennard finished the game with 25 points in 23 minutes off the bench, adding three assists and two steals. He made six of his eight 3-pointers during the game's second quarter.
Kennard, 25, is headed to Cleveland, where he'll take part in the 3-point contest during 2022 All-Star Saturday Night festivities at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.
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Kennard, a two-time Ohio Mr. Basketball (in 2014 and 2015), had his No. 10 jersey retired earlier this month at Franklin. He's averaging 11.8 points per game while shooting a league-best 44.8 percent from 3-point range (minimum 300 attempts) this season.
Kennard attended Super Bowl 56 to root on his hometown Bengals in person.
A first-round pick out of Duke in 2017, Kennard is one of seven players from local high schools, the Cincinnati Bearcats or Xavier Musketeers on NBA rosters.
Earlier in the month, Kennard helped the Clippers rally from a 66-36 halftime deficit, scoring 80 second-half points in a 116-115 win. Kennard had 25 points off the bench and scored seven points in the final nine seconds, including a go-ahead, four-point play with 1.9 seconds left.
In March 2021, Kennard scored 20 points in 18 minutes off the bench to help the Clippers rally past the Atlanta Hawks.
Kennard agreed in Dec. 2020 to a four-year contract extension reportedly worth $64 million.
Kennard visited Franklin's basketball practice in Nov. 2020, days after he was traded from the Detroit Pistons to the Clippers.
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