Miami 305: 52
DMV Trilogy: 45
The Week 5 opener was an early reminder of two things: The game is never over until a team reaches 50 (and wins by two) and never count out the reigning MVP.
Michael Beasley dropped 30 points in the Miami 305’s 52-49 come from behind victory over the DMV Trilogy in Boston Sunday.
Out of the 30 points he scored though, none were bigger than the final seven. With the 305 trailing 49-45 late, Beasley rattled off three straight baskets and closed out the game on a 7-0 run to steal a victory against Trilogy.
It was a good start initially for this winless DMV squad. They jumped out to an early 15-8 lead and Earl Clark was hitting on all cylinders. Clark had 19 of the team’s 25 points at the break.
But in Miami fashion, they countered with their high-powered offense and went on a 15-4 run of their own to take the lead in the second half. As the team’s went blow for blow late, Isaiah Austin’s work on the offensive glass and huge Bring the Fire win looked like the catalyst to get Trilogy to the finish line with a win.
Instead, DMV failed to score the final bucket and suffered their fourth straight loss. More importantly, Trilogy has yet to put a number in the win column.
Alongside Beasley, Lance Stephenson added 13 points and nine rebounds off the bench for Miami. The 305 are now tied for first place at 3-1 on the season.
Clark had a season-high 28 points while Austin added a double-double (12 points and 13 rebounds) for the DMV but at 0-4, they now sit in an even bigger must-win situation.
Chicago Triplets: 50
Dallas Power: 45
Chicago walked into Boston with a great opportunity at hand.
With Power missing both Greg Monroe (Summer League) and Paul Millsap (groin), the Triplets took on a depleted Dallas team with a chance to be tied for first place.
Despite a valiant effort from Dallas, Chicago did just that with a 50-45 win to get their third win of the summer.
This was a tightly contested game throughout its entirety. The largest lead throughout the game was six.
The big three of Montrezl Harrell, Nasir Core, and Chris Allen combined for 48 of the team’s 50 points as the Triplets have won three straight since their season opening loss at home.
But it didn’t come without a fight. Dallas opened the game finding a ton of success utilizing Glen Rice Jr. and TJ Cline in the pick-and-roll. Cline had eight points early.
However, it was the defense that came through clutch for Chicago. Despite being outrebounded 30-20 by Dallas, the Triplets forced seven turnovers and held Power to just 21 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
Ultimately, a late game technical foul from Rice Jr. proved to be the biggest separator with the game tied at 45 a piece. Core knocked down the technical free throw and Allen followed it up by hitting the game-winning 3-pointer.
Rice Jr. and Cline both ended with well-rounded performances. Rice posted 19 points, eight rebounds, and six assists while Cline finished with a career-high 19 points and 13 rebounds on the day for Power.
Yet it was Chicago who improved to 3-1 on the season and are tied with Miami and Detroit for first place.
Boston Ball Hogs: 51
Los Angeles Riot: 43
A storied rivalry began brewing from two iconic cities in the BIG3 Sunday. And while Los Angeles applied some pressure, it was the home team Boston Ball Hogs that took the early series lead with a 51-43 victory over the Riot.
The Ball Hogs, who were coming off an ugly second half in their last game in Miami, looked completely revamped. Jonathan Simmons got the start this week and picked up where he left off while the energy defensively was noticeable throughout the roster.
Simmons traded buckets with LA’s Dwight Howard early in the first half. Howard’s slam from Jordan Crawford’s feed made it a once possession game. But Kevin Murphy followed up with a crafty bucket that gave Boston some separation. Boston never looked back.
In the second half, Simmons stayed red hot knocking down an and-1 that catapulted an 11-4 second half run to give his squad a double-digit lead.
Los Angeles gave Beantown a run for their money with a late game rally but Deshawn Stephens dunked home the final points to get Boston back to .500 in the standings.
Both teams battled for points inside the arc throughout the afternoon, combining for just three 3-pointers in total.
Simmons finished with 27 points while Murphy added eight points, six rebounds, and five assists.
For LA, Howard had a team-high 16 points while Jordan Crawford chipped in 15 points. As of now, at least in the BIG3, Boston runs this historical rivalry.
Detroit Amps: 50
Houston Rig Hands: 45
Welcome to the league, Mr. Smith.
Cameron “Beno” Smith was signed earlier this week by the Detroit Amplifiers to fill the shoes for the injured Joe Johnson but nobody expected the shoe to fit perfectly.
Instead, Smith finished with a game-high 25 points in his BIG3 debut to help the Amps prevail 50-40 over the Houston Rig Hands.
With both teams missing their top players (Corey Brewer out due to head coaching responsibilities at Summer League), finding an offensive rhythm was tough to come by in the early going.
But once Smith checked in off the bench, everything changed. Beno scored 11 straight and sparked an 11-2 run by himself to give the Amps a big first half lead. Smith had 16 points and knocked down four 3-pointers at halftime.
The Rig Hands found their groove after the break though. Back-to-back and-1s from Brandon Moss coupled with a Garlon Green trey ball capped off an 11-0 run to bring Houston within three points in the second half.
However, the Amps got back to what was working. Smith and Shakur Juiston scored the final 14 points and proved to be too much for any type of comeback for Houston.
Alongside Smith, Juiston finished with a double-double scoring a career-high 20 points to go along with 10 rebounds and four assists. The two combined for 45 of the 50 points for Detroit as they moved to 3-1 on the season.
Houston on the other hand dropped their third straight despite a season-high 16 points for Moss and 14 points for Green. The Rig Hands now sit in second to last place at 1-3 halfway through the summer.
