Nance, Maldonado Set to Compete this Week in Postseason Play

Cody TuckerPublished: April 15, 2024

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JANUARY 06: Larry Nance Jr. #22 of the New Orleans Pelicans shoots against T.J. Warren #1 of the Brooklyn Nets during the first half at the Smoothie King Center on January 06, 2023 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

* University of Wyoming press release

LARAMIE -- The University of Wyoming has representation in a pair of professional postseason tournaments this week.

Larry Nance Jr. and the New Orleans Pelicans compete in the NBA Play-In Tournament, while Hunter Maldonado and the Oklahoma City Blue play for an NBA G League Championship.

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The Pelicans earned the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference after compiling a 49-33 record. They host the No. 8-seeded Los Angeles Lakers in the opening round of the play-in tournament Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. on TNT.

If New Orleans wins Tuesday night, they’re the No. 7 seed and will battle No. 2-seeded Denver in the opening round of the NBA Playoffs. If the Pelicans lose, they’ll play the winner of the game between No. 9-seeded Sacramento and No. 10-seeded Golden State for the No. 8 seed and the right to play No. 1-seeded Oklahoma City.

Nance played in 61 games this season. The former Wyoming Cowboy – who’s in his ninth year in the league – averaged 5.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.0 steals per game in 2023-24.

Nance, an Akron, Ohio native, averaged 11.3 points per game to go along with 6.6 rebounds during his career in Laramie, which lasted from 2011-15. He also helped lead the Cowboys to the NCAA Tournament during his senior campaign.

Nance was inducted into the University of Wyoming Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame last winter.

The Oklahoma City Blue take aim at a G League title Monday at 5 p.m. on ESPNU. They travel to the Maine Celtics in a winner-take-all Game 3.

Maldonado participated in 34 games with 18 starts in what marked his first season of professional basketball. He averaged 10.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.1 steals per contest.

Maldonado, a Colorado Springs native, helped lead Wyoming to the NCAA Tournament during the 2021-22 season. He averaged 13.7 points per game to go along with four assists and 5.1 rebounds. Maldonado is the third-leading scorer in program history with 2,158 points. No one has more assists -- 630 -- than the 6-foot-7 guard.