Los Angeles Riot: 50
Chicago Triplets: 30
During the week both teams made some changes to their roster with different intentions in
mind.
Chicago lost Jason Richardson for the year due to injury but added Brandon Moss in hopes
he could help the Triplets win to separate themselves in the standings. Los Angeles on the
other hand was hoping their trade for DMV guard Mike Taylor would help them get back on
the right track.
Well the Riot got everything they wanted and then some coming away with a dominating
50-30 victory over the Triplets to improve to 3-2 on the season.
And LA had everything clicking on all cylinders.
Offensively, the team shot a combined 56 percent from the field. Jordan Crawford had an
efficient 17 points to lead the way, Taylor was nearly perfect from the field in his debut, and
Dwight Howard was a force in the pick-and-roll setting screens and scoring under the rim.
But the Riot really had it going on the defensive end. Howard, especially, was effective on
the defensive end of the pick-and-roll blocking shots and breaking up lob attempts. As a
team, they finished with five blocks and four steals while holding the Triplets to 22 percent
shooting.
After back-to-back solid weeks, the Triplets looked like a completely different team. Chicago
was down 26-7 at the break and could never recover. Montrezl Harrell scored a season-low
seven points, Nasir Core struggled shooting 4-18 from the field, and Moss was scoreless in
his team debut.
They kicked off the second half with a 6-0 run but Los Angeles countered with their own
punch before sealing the win. Core had a team-high 13 points but the Triplets head back to
to the drawing board as one of six teams tied for first at 3-2 in the standings.
Dallas Power: 50
Miami 305: 47
Miami has been one of the best teams in the league halfway through the season and had a
chance to run the tables themselves entering Week 6.
However, Dallas had other ideas and came away with an upset 50-47 victory over the 305.
It looked like it was going to be another convincing performance by Miami. The 305 jumped
out to a 16-6 lead early in the first half thanks in part to their work on the offensive glass.
Michael Beasley’s corner 3-pointer off a Reggie Evans offensive rebound made it 19-6. If
anything, this felt like a resume builder for the reigning MVP’s 2025 campaign.
But Power answered with some timely minutes from their bench. A TJ Cline putback and a
3-pointer from John Millsap sparked a 10-2 run to end the first half and trimmed the lead
down to four points. This despite Beasley scoring 18 of the 25 first half points for the 305.
Miami seemed to regain momentum in the second half before things got chippy between
Lance Stephenson and Glen Rice Jr. That mix-up favored Power. Rice Jr. scored on a
couple isolation plays, Monroe worked the glass for easy points, and Dallas found
themselves leading another 10-0 run in the second half – this time to take the lead and
ultimately win the game.
Monroe had a career-high 18 points to go along with 15 boards for Power. Rice Jr. chipped
in 17 points and Cline added 12 points off the bench.
Beasley had the top scoring output in the league with 25 points but there was no late game
miracle this time around as Miami fell to 3-2 on the season.
DMV Trilogy: 51
Detroit Amps: 45
Desperately searching for their first win, the DMV made a ton of changes to their roster
during the week.
Even after adding NBA veteran Will Barton and trading for LA Riot forward Mike Scott,
Trilogy had a tall task getting in the win column this week with the game being on the road
for Detroit’s first ever home appearance.
But Trilogy’s urgent mindset alongside their new additions helped them prevail to a 51-40
win against the Amps Sunday.
Earl Clark had a game-high 21 points and Barton dropped 13 points in his BIG3 debut with
DMV, despite no practice time and hardly knowing all the rules.
It was probably a good indicator early on for Trilogy when the 3-ball was falling and
everybody was getting involved. The DMV ended the first half with a 12-point lead after
Franklin Session splashed home a 4-pointer and three players had at least six points.
However, we saw a resurgent Detroit team in the second half. The bench came alive and
Ray Nixon helped ignite a 10-2 run with a couple 3-pointers to cut the lead down to five.
Nixon had a game-high 14 points – all off the bench and after halftime.
Yet, the Trilogy answered every blow. DMV widened the lead and even with another 8-2
push from Detroit late, Clark took matters into his own hands scoring nine of the last 11
points to secure their first win of the year.
At 1-4, it’ll take a miracle to make the playoffs but they stay in contention another week with
the win.
For Detroit, they not only suffered their second loss but earlier in the day it was announced
on the broadcast that Joe Johnson would be out for the season with a torn patella tendon.
And one week after seemingly finding the answer to their scoring woes they dealt with
following Johnson’s injury, they found themselves challenged offensively once again.
Cameron “Beno” Smith scored just five points this week after putting up 25 in his debut last
week. Jeremy Pargo has consistently struggled from the floor all season and scored just 12
points this week on 29 percent shooting.
The good news is there are six teams at 3-2 and they happen to be one of them. But if they
want to keep ahead of the pack, they’ll need to figure some things out knowing Iso Joe isn’t
returning this summer.
Boston Ball Hogs: 51
Houston Rig Hands: 40
There’s been a lot of changes during the past eight seasons in the BIG3 but one thing has
stayed constant – the Ball Hogs have never made the playoffs.
Could that change this year?
Boston earned their third win of the year in compelling fashion, topping the Houston Rig
Hands 51-40 Sunday in Detroit.
Jonathan Simmons led the way with 19 points for Gary Payton’s squad, who just so
happened to be playing some of the players he won a championship with last summer. Kevin
Murphy followed up with 12 points.
The Ball Hogs picked up where they left off last week jumping out to a 15-6 start before
ending the half on a 10-2 run. Every player for Boston had at least four points to contribute to
the scoring load.
It was more of the same in the second half. The Ball Hogs knocked down just about every
shot they took and took advantage of their defense and turnovers. Chris Johnson’s block
and reverse slam made it 31-15 to double up the Rig Hands. They led by as much as 20 at
one point after Simmons mid-range jumper extended the lead to 43-23 late.
Houston responded with a 17-4 run to make the game look closer than it felt but ultimately
the game was already out of hand.
Boston shot 57 percent from the field and 7-15 from beyond the arc as a team. They have
the best point differential over the past two weeks and Payton seems to have his team
playing their best brand of basketball.
For the Rig Hands, they now sit at 1-4 after they dropped their fourth straight. Corey Brewer
returned from his one game absence and scored a team-high 18 points while Garlon Green
finished with 13 points.
