Lucas Nogueira solid in Estudiantes win

Atlanta Hawks' first round pick Lucas Nogueira put up a solid performance for Estudiantes in an 86-66 win over Fuenlabrada. Nogueira went 4-4 from the field and finished with 10 points and six rebounds in 19 minutes of playing time off the bench.

Nogueira played in back-to-back games for the first time since leaving Spain to seek treatment for a case of severe tendinitis in his knees. Estudiantes improved to 8-17 on the season.

Nogueira has played in nine games this season and is averaging 6.2 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. He's shooting 71 percent from the field and has made his last 13 field goal attempts dating back to December. Since returning from the United States, Nogueira is 10-10 from the field.

With one game a week, the Liga Endesa season is no comparison to the rigors of an NBA schedule but it was good to see Nogueira clear the back-to-back hurdle and perform well while doing so. Estudiantes has nine games remaining and it would be a good thing to see Nogueira finish strong before returning to the United States in July for summer league.