Miami 305: 50
Houston Rig Hands: 42
The Miami 305 walked away from Cincinnati with a 50-42 victory over the Houston Rig Hands despite not having the reigning MVP, Michael Beasley, suit up for them due to a knee injury.
Behind double-doubles from both Lance Stephenson and Sean Williams, the 305 improved to 4-2 on the season even with the ongoing foul trouble throughout the game.
Houston definitely didn’t make it easy though. Desperate for a win at 1-4, the Rig Hands went on an early 9-0 run to give themselves a lead to start the game.
With the likes of Corey Brewer and Garlon Green getting into the paint and creating contact, they found themselves in the bonus before either team even scored 10 points.
But a response was imminent. Williams got his first start and got more opportunities offensively with Beasley out. He capitalized putting up a career-high in points in the first half alone.
Stephenson’s and-1 sparked a 13-2 run for the 305 and they went into the break with the lead.
Fouls continued to plague the better part of the second half with the teams combining for 25 total. However, Born Ready found his shot in the second half scoring 14 of his 22 points after halftime.
Even with Houston’s extra hustle plays keeping it close past the 40 mark, Miami closed the game out on a 7-2 run stamped by a Stephenson jumper to end the game.
The 305 now sit tied for first in the standings with the win. As for the Rig Hands, they’ll look to play spoiler the final two weeks after their fifth loss of the summer.
Detroit Amps: 50
Los Angeles Riot: 46
One team that’s familiar playing without their star was looking to bounce back in a huge way after dropping one against a winless team last week at home.
Jeremy Pargo did everything in his power to ensure a win, posting a season-high 23-points effort to help the Detroit Amps defeat the Los Angeles Riot 50-46 in Cincinnati.
The Amps had a tall task against them, squaring off a Riot team coming off a 20-point win the week before behind the duo of Jordan Crawford and Dwight Howard.
But Detroit found their rhythm quickly. Darnell Jackson’s Bring the Fire win over Howard was a catalyst for their 9-0 run to give them the early lead.
However, the NBA Hall-of-Famer went blow for blow with the Amps. Howard dunked one home and followed it up by throwing down a lob from Crawford to make it a 21-17 game.
Pargo eventually ended the first half with a strong layup muscled through a potential block from Howard. The Amps captain scored 16 of his 23 in the first half.
It was more of the same in the second half with every run being countered by the other team.
George Gervin’s squad made it a double-digit lead with their 7-0 run out of the break but that lead was shortly cut into by the Riot’s 9-0 response. Crawford’s triple in the corner made it a one possession game and it looked like momentum was shifting.
But Jackson followed up that 3-pointer with his own and opened up Detroit’s second 7-0 run of the half. LA trailed by just a single point at 47-46 but Pargo knocked down a game-winning three to seal the victory.
Jackson hit three 3-pointers and posted 13 points to go along with nine rebounds as the Amps moved to 4-2 on the year.
The Riot on the other hand were led by Crawford, 22 points, and Howard, 16 points and nine rebounds, but fell back to .500 as their roller coaster season continues.
Dallas Power: 50
DMV Trilogy: 45
Dallas won their second straight game after knocking off the DMV Trilogy 50-45 Saturday. Led by Greg Monroe’s monster 25-point, 17-rebound double-double, Power grinded their way to the finish line to ensure their position at the top of the standings.
From the jump, it was all Monroe. After posting a double-double the week before, Moose had 13 of the first 15 points for Dallas and posted a double-double before either team scored 20 points.
But outside of him, offense was hard to come by – especially from the 3-point line. The two teams were a combined 0-15 from beyond the arc in the first half alone.
The DMV found some life offensively though. Franklin Session scored all 10 of his points before the break, including the one long range shot that went down; a 4-pointer.
Yet, even after numerous rejections at the rim, Monroe found himself time and time again with the ball under the basket for an easy deuce. Dallas led at halftime.
Trilogy eventually reaped benefits though off their defensive effort in the second half. A Monroe technical foul coupled with multiple turnovers turned into an 8-0 run to give the DMV their first lead of the afternoon.
And everything Session brought off the bench in the first half, Mike Scott did in the second half scoring a career-high 10 points.
But Dallas adjusted. Monroe dominated the glass and Glen Rice Jr. scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half to put themselves within striking distance. And while Trilogy took a late 43-42 lead, Power responded with a 8-2 run to close out the win.
The extra possessions came at a premium with Power outrebounding Trilogy 39-22 while grabbing 15 offensive rebounds. Makes sense as the two teams combined shooting 1-24 from 3-point land.
Alongside the Power captain, Rice Jr. had his own double-double securing 13 rebounds while TJ Cline had nine points and eight rebounds to get their fourth victory.
Earl Clark led the way for the DMV with 17 points. But after what looked like the start of a turnaround last week, Trilogy fell to 1-5 on the season and have been eliminated from playoff contention.
Chicago Triplets: 51
Boston Ball Hogs: 43
There were a fair share of question marks surrounding Chicago after scoring just 30 points the week prior.
But they answered anything outstanding following their 51-43 statement win over the Boston Ball Hogs.
Montrezl Harrell, who put up season-lows in points and rebounds last week, posted 22 points and 11 rebounds in the victory. Brandon Moss added 15 points while Nasir Core put up 12 points, seven rebounds, and six assists.
That being said, it was hard to tell early on who was going to come out on top.
On one end, Harrell established the inside scoring load while Moss looked much more like himself in his second game with his new team.
On the other end, everybody for Boston had a say in why the Ball Hogs were initially ahead. All five players had at least a couple buckets with Deshawn Stephens, Jonathon Simmons, and Kevin Murphy having at least six points. Chris Johnson’s corner 3-pointer gave the Hogs a five-point halftime lead.
Trailing by eight in the second half, Chicago’s offense came alive. Core’s 3-pointer to beat the shot clock made it a four-point game. Two possessions later Moss came up on the receiving end of Core’s lob for the throwdown to tie it. This marked a 13-0 run to turn the tables.
Boston didn’t go away easily though. Dominique Johnson’s 3-pointer combined with Simmons’ floater made it 44-43 as the Ball Hogs were down one late.
Harrell took over from there. The former NBA Sixth Man of the Year went on his own 7-0 run to close it out as Chicago moved to 4-2 on the season.
The Triplets are now one of four teams tied for first place.
Meanwhile, after winners of two straight, the Ball Hogs fell back to .500.
Stephens had a team-high 12 points and snared 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the year but Boston is now on the outside looking in of the playoff picture.
