Happy New Year

December 31, 2009 at 1:25 pm · Filed under Uncategorized

The gbbasketball.net team would like to pass on the very best wishes to all of our readers for 2010! It has been a bumpy ride in 2009 for the site but here’s to a better new calendar year!

Thanks for your support!

Comments

European basketball top 100

December 30, 2009 at 11:15 am · Filed under Uncategorized

A new feature on gbbasketball.com in our quest to keep track on the British players out there in Europe, for example 42. Kieran Achara’s Angelico.

Courtesy of Eurobasket.

No	Team		Record	Points
1.	CSKA (RUS)		17-3	189
2.	Regal Barca (ESP)		20-1	188
3.	Montepaschi (ITA)		18-1	181
4.	Maccabi T-A (ISR)		14-3	174
5.	MMC Real M. (ESP)		17-4	153
6.	Panathinaikos (GRE)		13-3	146
7.	Olympiakos (GRE)		13-3	146
8.	Le Mans (FRA)		12-4	134
9.	Zalgiris (LTU)		23-9	133
10.	Caja Laboral (ESP)		16-5	126
11.	Lietuvos Rytas (LTU)		20-5	121
12.	Assec.Prokom (POL)		16-5	120
13.	Beograd (SRB)		15-2	116
14.	Efes Pilsen (TUR)		12-6	114
15.	Valencia BC (ESP)		13-4	110
16.	Khimky (RUS)		13-7	110
17.	Cholet (FRA)		12-4	109
18.	Gravelines (FRA)		12-3	106
19.	Panellinios (GRE)		9-3	103
20.	Marousi BC (GRE)		9-7	102
21.	Unics (RUS)		14-3	99
22.	DKV Joventut (ESP)		11-6	98
23.	Partizan (SRB)		12-8	97
24.	Jerusalem (ISR)		9-4	97
25.	Armani MI (ITA)		11-8	96
26.	CEZ Nymburk (CZE)		21-2	95
27.	Crvena Zvez. (SRB)		9-8	95
28.	ALBA (GER)		14-3	94
29.	FMP (SRB)		8-8	93
30.	Hemofarm (SRB)		9-7	91
31.	Fener.Ulker (TUR)		11-7	90
32.	Macc.Haifa (ISR)		7-2	90
33.	Galil Gilboa (ISR)		7-2	90
34.	Budivelnyk (UKR)		10-1	87
35.	Triumph (RUS)		7-5	87
36.	Besiktas (TUR)		9-5	86
37.	Pepsi Caserta (ITA)		8-3	86
38.	Cajasol (ESP)		8-5	86
39.	VEF Riga (LAT)		7-14	86
40.	Radnicki K. (SRB)		5-8	84
41.	Roanne (FRA)		12-4	82
42.	Angelico BI (ITA)		9-6	81
43.	Benetton TV (ITA)		9-6	81
44.	BC Donetsk (UKR)		13-6	80
45.	Cibona (CRO)		13-8	80
46.	Anwil (POL)		11-2	80
47.	VAP Kolossos (GRE)		5-3	80
48.	Unicaja (ESP)		12-9	79
49.	Banvit (TUR)		10-4	79
50.	Siauliai (LTU)		15-8	78
51.	Darda (CRO)		8-1	78
52.	NGC Cantu (ITA)		7-4	78
53.	Air AV (ITA)		7-4	78
54.	Manresa (ESP)		7-6	78
55.	Zadar (CRO)		10-6	77
56.	Banca Tercas (ITA)		8-7	77
57.	Netanya (ISR)		5-3	76
58.	U.Olimpija (SLO)		10-11	75
59.	KK Zagreb (CRO)		10-7	74
60.	Nancy (FRA)		9-7	73
61.	Cedevita (CRO)		7-10	73
62.	Levski (BUL)		13-2	71
63.	Metalac (SRB)		10-6	70
64.	EWE Baskets (GER)		10-11	70
65.	T.Telekom (TUR)		7-7	70
66.	La Fortezza (ITA)		6-5	70
67.	Ferro-ZNTU (UKR)		10-2	69
68.	Orleans (FRA)		7-13	69
69.	Panionios (GRE)		4-4	68
70.	Peristeri GS (GRE)		4-4	68
71.	Lok.Rostov (RUS)		4-8	68
72.	Krka (SLO)		9-2	67
73.	APOEL (CYP)		10-1	66
74.	Ovarense (POR)		7-0	66
75.	Benfica (POR)		7-0	66
76.	Hyeres-Toulon (FRA)		7-5	66
77.	Goettingen (GER)		11-5	65
78.	Proleter Naft. (SRB)		8-4	65
79.	Vojvodina (SRB)		8-4	65
80.	Borac (SRB)		8-4	65
81.	Telekom B. (GER)		10-9	64
82.	Barons (LAT)		8-1	64
83.	Karsiyaka (TUR)		6-4	64
84.	BK Prostejov (CZE)		16-3	63
85.	Novy Jicin (CZE)		16-3	63
86.	ZTE KK (HUN)		12-0	61
87.	Art.Dragons (GER)		12-7	61
88.	Bizkaia Bilbao (ESP)		8-9	61
89.	Liege (BEL)		12-4	59
90.	Napredak (SRB)		7-5	59
91.	Mega Vizura (SRB)		7-5	59
92.	Gran Canaria (ESP)		7-10	59
93.	Paris-Levall. (FRA)		6-6	59
94.	Brose Baskets (GER)		10-8	58
95.	Polpharma (POL)		9-4	58
96.	Trefl Sopot (POL)		9-4	58
97.	Krasnie Krilya (RUS)		7-4	58
98.	Aris (GRE)		6-6	58
99.	Norrkoping (SWE)		24-3	57
100.	Charleroi (BEL)		8-7	57

The ranking applies to all European basketball teams. The calculation is based on:
1) Domestic League results
2) Participation in European Cups (different cups are ranked differently)
3) European Cups results – single team performance
4) European Cups results – all country teams performance
5) Last 5 weeks record
6) Playoff games are counted higher than regular season games
7) Countries are also ranked according to previous seasons results

Comments (5)

Clark Writes Himself Into Spanish Basketball Folklore

December 29, 2009 at 3:05 pm · Filed under Brits Abroad

Paul Nilsen for gbbasketball.net

British center Dan Clark wrote his name into Spanish basketball folklore tonight as he had the game of his life and settled one of the most thrilling Madrid derby games in memory.

In a truly spectacular epic encounter, Clark stroked home a huge triple in overtime with just five seconds left to hand Estudiantes a thrilling 81-80 success over their glittering neighbours Real Madrid.

The magnitude of Clark’s performance and the impact of this win for both Estu and for EuroLeague giants Real were truly earth shattering. Estu were not expected to win after Real had been blown away by arch rivals Barca at home last weekend and were expected after a run of surprise defeats to storm back.

That is not how it panned out and legendary coach Ettore Messina was left with egg on his face as were his array of European stars such as  Jaric, Velickovic, Kaukenas, Bullock, Garbajosa, Prigioni, Lavrinovic and Co.

Ten thousand fans went absolutely mental in an incredible game that will be remembered for decades. Not only because of the big three by Clark to win it, but the fact that Pancho Jasen drilled an even bigger triple from way downtown in regulation to force overtime.

This wasn’t just about the three-pointer by Clark, he had the game of his life in front of the watching millions across Spain. He showed that he can mix it with the best and hopefully he can now push on from here.

He was genuinely awesome and I don’t say that lightly.

He threw down a monstrous dunk at the end of regulation to set up the escape route for Estu while he did the dirty work on the glass with some superb rebounding.

In the end he finished with 16 points and the freedom of a jubilant blue district of Madrid.

His game winning shot will be all over Youtube soon courtesy of gloating Estu fans and highlights at www.acb.com . Having said that, after a game like that, the possible ramifications for Los Galacticos including Messina, there was little surprise that the acb.com site crashed after the game!

Great work fella!

Oh and you can watch the entire game here http://acb360.orange.es/matches/LACB/54/132

Comments (3)

Bitten By A Bug

December 28, 2009 at 5:51 am · Filed under Uncategorized

Apologies but we have been hit by a computer bug  affecting the menu down the RH side of our page including archives.  Hopefully normal service will be resumed soon but we can’t guarantee it as none of us have any idea about technology. We thought we would compliment the bad news with a photo of our founder Paul Nilsen – you see it could be worse, you could look like this.

Comments (4)

Bulls On Their Way Back?

December 28, 2009 at 5:42 am · Filed under Brits Abroad

By Matt Clear

Finally, Luol Deng’s Chicago Bulls appear to be moving forward. After a 96-85 Boxing Day win against New Orleans, the Bulls are now eighth in the East – but Chicago fans will have learned not to breathe easy just yet.

Earlier this week it appeared that the Bulls had arrested a decline that saw them lose 11 of their last 13 games with home wins over the Knicks (covered in the last update) and Hawks. Then came the now-infamous collapse against Sacramento that saw a 35-point lead disappear. The last time any NBA team blew a lead that big, it was 1996, and the Bulls were on their way to a record-breaking 72-win season, while Luol Deng was just starting to turn heads with his performances for the Brixton Topcats junior teams.

But through the Bulls’ current turmoil, Deng has been one of the few bright spots. He had 21 points, a team-leading 12 rebounds, six assists and two blocks against the Hawks. That was followed up by a game-high 26 points on 11-17 shooting against the Kings and 23 points and eight rebounds on 11-23 shooting in a loss to the Knicks. Against the Hornets he scored a more modest 12 points, but added eight rebounds and two blocks and again shot the ball efficiently.

Deng has shot 50.7% and averaged 43 minutes across the last four games, suggesting that he has made a full recovery from the injury that kept him out of action this summer.

Pops-Mensah Bonsu’s Toronto Raptors had only two games to contend with over the holiday season, both coming against Ben Gordon’s Detroit Pistons. The Pistons, still ravaged by injuries, went down 94-64 in the first encounter on Wednesday (quite an achievement against one of the worst defensive teams in the league) to lose their sixth straight.

Pops played just six minutes in that game, notching three points and a block.

Gordon made his return from injury last night in the second game, but the Pistons again lost, 102-95 this time. BG played 33 minutes off the bench. While he shot just 4-15 from the field, he made all six free throw attempts to finish with 15 points and five rebounds.

Pops was on court for only 34 seconds during that second game – understandably failing to contribute in that short period.

Comments

Happy Holidays!

December 27, 2009 at 4:40 pm · Filed under Uncategorized

Gbbasketball.net wishes you happy holidays and all the best in the new year with the hope of plenty of great British basketball to come!

Comments

Serbian Dreams

December 24, 2009 at 9:40 am · Filed under Turkey 2010 & Lithuania 2011

While Great Britain missed out on a Wild Card spot, Serbia booked their place with that stunning performance which led them to the final of EuroBasket 2009. Understandably looking ahead to Turkey and 2010 is a friend of gbbasketball.net in Serbian author Sasha Jelisavac and he takes a look at the Serbian team and approach – something that GB could learn a lot from!

Before the all Holidays kick in, I guess it will be time to look back, or even better, look forward. The World Championships will be coming and before the holidays kill all the talk about it, Serbia is in the group with Argentina, Germany, Australia, Angola, Jordan……If I didn’t miss anyone?

I say it is a great group, better that we play AUS and GER in the group stage then Croatia and Russia, what was also possible. Russia with Kirilenko or without is not the same and Croatia is always a tough one the beginning, especially against Serbia. That is because it is always more than just a ball game!

But that is far from what Coach Dusan Ivkovic told the media. ”Group of death”-he said…No question about it, it will be tougher then Poland 09, more teams, more star players and of course, USA will be there, but we do have a team that is ready, one year more experienced and it will not be called “underdogs” anymore… I hate that underdog name; we want the title and the right name that goes with it.

Against most of the opponents, team that played last tournament will be good enough, but to play for finals, we need 2-3 players… Not just any players, we need 2 centers and one guard!

 The list is long….

Guards – Vujanic, Rakocevic, Avdalovic….. (Jaric??).

Centers – Milicic, Radmanovic….For Milicic it is a question of attitude, after his “free vocabulary” is not so respected in Ivkovic team, but I think they will come to some arrangement. Much harder with Radmanovic, lazy ass rich and problems with attitude but none of them compares with a story of the day, man of the hour, leading player of the Euro league, most craziest and most beloved player of Belgrade city for right now and a new boy in the neighbourhood and everybody, but I mean everybody, are saying he has to be with that team, and he is not even a Serb, I guess you know who I mean….   Alex Maric…

Sir Alex (Belgrade has a nickname for everyone!) is Australian with Serbian background and a starter for partisan Belgrade. Last year he played in Spain I believe, and didn’t do anything, so soon he arrived to Partisan (oh, why not Red Star?) and from that very first moment, he was nr.1. How come that anybody else didn’t notice that talent that Partisan sign for 250 thousand for 3 years, I don’t know, maybe is the Partisan that knows how to get the best out of someone…? He plays like a star, dominating all the areas and of course, he already said that what any player needs to say if he wants to play for National team of Serbia…

…”It will be an honor”….

No question about it, he is a class better player than Raduljica or Kostic(our bench center line) and if the plan works out Serbia comes with 4 big boys where everybody can be a starter… With one more guard, just one from those 4 that I all ready named, (of course I am hoping for Rakocevic) and with one more year of experience, we want the finals and nothing but the finals will be good enough. Not to get misunderstood, we want the gold…. All it takes is those 3 (Milicic, Maric Rakocevic)…and we are ready… We already have the team, ready to play, now is only to get reinforcements but players that can impact the game from very start…brush the edges, take them on the mountain and let them claim… … Oh I am optimistic, but I know too that anybody that wants to play OG in London has to play WC. Ivkovic will not risk any new names for OG… Since Divac became president of the OC of Serbia (Olympic committee) we all know what is needed…

It is a general that is giving orders now, no excuses; Ivkovic has to deliver….

So he (Mr Ivkovic) will build for a last time because he knows how important it is, what he builds right now it has to be for next3 years ready to deliver and if the gold is a target, those 3 a necessary… Maybe he surprises us all and takes Vujanic or Avdalovic with, maybe even Radmanovic finally gets his lazy NBA ass back home, it will be all great, but easiest and most popular way will be with these 3.

Well, it happened for Sir Alex, it is a hard mission, he already played for U17 Australian team and specially now where Australia is in our group, they will make problems about it, but there is plenty time and general does have some authority in the house FIBA and after all….”It is an honor”….

 Not to forget that everybody in KSS (Serbian Basketball association) get really mad because Turks send us to play some 400 km from Istanbul and Mr.Tanjevic always finds the way to surprise us with something. Just to make shore that we get the message, KSS went with officially statement:

 “We don’t have anything against playing group stage 400 km from Constantinople”

It will be hard to bring some greater number of fans. Mr Tanjevic likes to have us so far away he can get in the first stage, but ok, we all have our jobs to do and Serbia finally entered Schengen law now, so we are free to travel… Not even that old fox could calculate the fact that somebody in Brussels will have sudden attack of conscience!

Looks like time and all the other little things around are working for us, free travelling, we applied for a membership in EU just couple days ago, we qualified for the WC in Football, we send the France on the second place to shoot goals against Ireland with hands. We are even finding new players in Australia and Mr.Tanjevic is for a right now last thing on our mind..    

With our starting line up: Teodosic, Rakocevic, Bjelica, Velickovic, Krstic….

And with bench players like Milicic and Maric, Markovic and Paunic, we don’t need to worry against anybody anywhere

Of course, this all is just a story, and we don’t need anybody else if Mr.Stojakovic does finally get one season without injuries and decides one more time that “it is an honor”…. With Teodosic, Stojakovic as a starter, we don’t need anybody!

You and me can play it, and it will still be enough for a most of the games.I don’t know how good is your defence, but don’t worry, after 4 weeks on the mountain, defence will be a last thing on your mind… I don’t even want to go there on putting some reasons why GB will not be there; I guess you know what my thoughts are about it… Let’s just say, we will wait for London 2012.

To summarise, the future looks really great for our team, I don’t even want to name all the new boys that arrived, let’s wait and see are they really so hungry, but there are so many great players around on all positions, maybe one of them gets lucky…

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas!

Sasha

Comments (4)

Brits Abroad: NCAA Week 6

December 23, 2009 at 12:12 pm · Filed under Brits Abroad

By Matt Clear

Top performer: Justin Robinson

It’s now three weeks in a row that I’ve picked him as my top performer. But if Justin Robinson keeps turning it on, how can I do otherwise?

 Robinson scored 19 points to lead Rider in their 70-63 win over Monmouth. The junior guard shot 50% from the field, including 3-6 three-pointers, and added four rebounds, four assists and three steals.

He was also 6-6 from the line. Robinson has made his last 25 foul shots.

“I try not to think about it,” he said after the game. “We shoot a lot of foul shots in practice so I credit it to our practices. It has been working well for me so far. I’ve been productive.”

Robinson is second on the team with 13.1ppg, and leads Rider in assists (2.7), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.7), steals (1.5) and three-point shooting (50%).

 How the other Brits fared:

• No. 22 Washington proved that they belong in the Top 25 despite recent struggles. They had their first win over a ranked team last night (No. 19 Texas A&M), after blowing out Portland on Saturday. Matthew Bryan-Amaning scored seven points in each game, adding seven rebounds against Portland and four against A&M. MBA got into foul trouble against A&M and shot just 2-8 from the floor, but improved post defence did bring him three steals.

• Eric Boateng pulled down a season-high nine rebounds against San Diego State, but struggled offensively, finishing with three points. Boateng, who had made around 70% of his free throws going into Saturday’s game, was just 1-5 from the line. ASU was outrebounded 41-26 by SDSU, despite winning the game.

In a 69-42 win over UCSB, Boateng made his solitary field goal attempt to finish with two points as ASU lit up the Gauchos from the outside. The senior centre had seven rebounds and a block in 29 minutes.

Among Pac-10 players, Boateng ranks ninth in rebounding with 6.7 per game, and first in field goal percentage (67.2%), but hasn’t scored in double figures in December.

• It was a mixed week for Ben Allison as he had seven points and a career high ten rebounds in an easy win over Division III College of New Jersey. That was followed up with an overtime loss to Cornell, although it was a good game for Allison personally as he scored ten points in 4-8 shooting. Davidson’s final game of the week was a win over Hofstra, but Allison went scoreless in only nine minutes of play. Freshman forward Jake Cohen has been playing superbly for the Wildcats, so it looks like Allison is unlikely to regain his starting spot.

• Andrew Lawrence had a season-high 13 points in Charleston’s win over rivals Charleston Southern. He was 5-6 from the field and made all three of his three-pointers. The Cougars fared less well against No. 24 Clemson, who blew them out by 39 points. Lawrence scored six against the Tigers, going 2-5 from downtown and adding two assists.

• Ben Eaves appears eager to make up for lost time – once again he was extremely active in limited court time, scoring 11 points in as many minutes against Fairfield. Eaves was 3-5 on threes and also grabbed three rebounds.

• Patrick Nyeko sat out Nevada’s win over Eastern Washington, but played eight minutes against Wagner. He contributed two rebounds and two assists.

Comments

Brits Abroad – Week 10

December 22, 2009 at 4:31 am · Filed under Brits Abroad

 By Chris Scruton

Performer of the week

Joel Freeland

Kieran Achara – Angelico BI ( Italy Serie A)

Last week saw Kieran’s team take on Ventspils in Eurocup. It was another good night for the Italians as they won the game 77-63. Kieran chipped in with 7 points and 4 rebounds, 2 blocks in 13minutes off the bench. Angelico are now level at the top with Brose on 3-1 record, andlook good for a place in the next round. At weekend Angelico were back to domestic matters this time against Scavaloni. Unfortunately it ended with a narrow defeat 73-76. Kieran contributed reasonably well in his 14 minutes of action by scoring 8 points & grabbing 4 rebounds. Angelico are now 6th with a 6-5 record.

Robert Archibald – Malaga (Spain ACB)

Another 2 game week for Malaga as they continued to fight on the European and domestic front. Last week in Euroleague they travelled to Efes Pilsen from Turkey. Malaga claimed a huge win by winning a thrilling game 79-77. Archibald helped his team with 8 points, 4 rebounds and 2 steals. the win gives Malaga a 6-2 record going into the Chrstmas break, andbook place in the last 16. At weekend Malaga continued their revival in the ACB after an appalling start by beating Valladolid easily 85-67 away from home. Robert had a below par game scoring just 6 points off just 1-5 shooting, but did convert all 4 of his free throws. Malaga are now 8th on a 6-7 record, 3 games back on 4th placed Valencia.

Andrew Betts – Aris ( Greece )

Aris suffered a heart breaking defeat at weekend by succumbing to AEK by just a single point 77-76. Betts was not at his best contributing just 6 points, 6 rebounds in 22 minutes. Andrew was hampered by foul trouble & did eventually foul out, possibly contributing to the narrowest of defeats. Aris now lie a disappointing 9th in the table on a 3-5 record. It was better news the game before as Aris comfortably beat Siaulia 85-67 in game 4 of Eurocup. Betts finished on just 4 points, but did pull down a terrific 13 boards and handed out 4 assists. The win leaves Aris top of group C with a 3-1 record.

Flinder Boyd – Unattached

No more news to report on Flinder. Hopefully the injury he is carrying is not too serious and not affecting his chances of signing for a club.

Daniel Clarke – Estudiantes ( Spain ACB)

As per the last few games Dan has not played a single minute, and it makes me wonder wether his time is up with Estudiantes.

Joel Freeland – Malaga ( Spain ACB)

It was a good week for Malaga this week as they recorded 2 wins, on in Europe, the other in the ACB. Against Turkish giants Efes Pilsen Joel contributed an important 11 points of 50% shooting in just over 20 minutes of court time. On Saturday against Valladolid Joel had 10 points and 4 boards in just 15 minutes. Once again he is showing his credentials by being efficient for every minute he is on court. All in all a good solid week again for the ever impressive Brit.

Nick George – Fastweb ( Italy Lega 2)

Another good week for Nick and his team, this time defeating A B Latina 86-72. Nick continues to justify his starting place as he registered a healthy 12 points including 3-4 from downtown. Together with8 rebounds i think that is a healthy return on 24 minutes of court time. Very pleasing all round for Nick as he continues to impress his coach, his tea and hopefully the GB staff! The win puts Fastweb 10thon a 7-6 record but just 2 games behind 2nd placed Trenkwalder.

Jarret Hart – Kervanos (Cyprus)

Another harsh lesson in Europe last week as Kervanos were outplayed in France by Roanne. Jarret did not play possibly due to injury. The defeat leaves his team last in group H and unable to qualify. Hopefully the final 2 games they can gain some respect and get at least a win. Better news on Sunday as they ran out easy winners against Etha 76-58. Jarret did play in this game and hit 9 points. Keravnos lie 3rd in the table on a 6-2 record

Michael Lenzley – Nymburk ( Czech Republic )

Hit and miss over the last 7 days for Nymburk. The miss was last week as they travelled to Brose to face them in round 4 of Eurocup. They were defeated 85-73. Mike had a poor game scoring just 4 points in 21 minutes. Nymburk are now 3rd in group H on a 2-2 record and face a tough task trying to get out of the group. The hit unsurprisingly was domestic matters where once again they destroyed there opponents for the umpteenth time by a colossal margin. This time it was a 61 point margin against a pathetic Vysehrad. In this blowout Mike again was poor scoring just 6, and over his last 2 games he has gone 0-6 from downtown. Maybe the lack of talent in the opposition is a distraction for him, but as proffesional this possible excuse, can’t be an excuse. Hopefully the short Christmas break will help, andhe will find some consistency to his game.

Nate Reinking – Mons ( Belgium)

Just the one game last week for Nate as they were in Eurochallenge action. They produced on of their best games this season by defeating Chalon 84-67. Nate helped himself to just 5 points as his scoring touch let him down. Never the less it was a important win for a team who have lacked consistency this season, so Nate will be pleased with that. This win put Mons 2nd in the group on 2-2, but so is everyone else. Your guess is as good as mine to who will qualify, but Mons are in there with a shout and if they produce performances like this then they will do alright.

Andrew Sullivan – Apollon ( Cyprus )

Apollon last out in a thriller to Apoel. The game went to overtime, but Drew’s team couldn’t do enough to get the win. They got beat by 7, 107-100. Drew scored 7 points in vain for his team. The defeat leaves Apollon 5th on a 4-4 record.

Comments

Disappointment for GB coaches

December 19, 2009 at 6:43 am · Filed under Brits Abroad

By Dave Ryan

Clearly I put a jinx of Chris Finch and Nick Nurse by writing about their six game winning streaks, as both have seen them end in their subsequent game.

The Tulsa 66ers built on a nine point half-time lead by starting the third quarter on a 22-2 run to put the game out of reach and close out a 108-90 victory on Friday night at the Tulsa Convention Center.
The game looked like it would be a tight game early with 14 lead changes in the first period. 66ers then led by as many as 11 in the first half, and went into the final period with an 89-67 lead.
“We didn’t come to play tonight,” Finch told NBA.com afterwards. “I could kind of smell this one coming, we had a good week of practice but were not ready to play this one tonight.”
Mike Harris, the D-League’s second leading scorer, tallied 17 of his 19 points in the first half while chipping in with six rebounds in the loss for the Vipers. Antonio Anderson scored 17 of his team high 23 points in the second half while also dishing out a team high six assists. Joey Dorsey finished a rebound shy of a double-double as he added 11 points, scoring all of them in the first half.
The Vipers complete their double-header at Tulsa this evening [Sunday] before hosting Reno Monday. Austin are the visitors on Boxing Day, and the same team return on Wednesday December 30.
Meanwhile, Nick Nurse’s Iowa Energy team found it wasn’t lucky seven as they went down 109-99 at Sioux Falls Skyforce for their first defeat of the season.
In front of just over 4,000 fans, a strong fourth period wasn’t enough to give Energy their seventh straight victory. Nurse’s team cut an 18-point third quarter deficit to three points with just over two minutes to go in the fourth quarter but Sioux Falls outscored Iowa 10-3 in the final two minutes to hand them their first loss of the season.
After leading 59-52 going into the locker-room, Skyforce went on a 15-4 run to take their largest lead of the game at 18 points. Iowa cut the lead to 10 points following a steal and dunk by Marshall Phillips but Raymond Sykes knocked down a baseline jumper to push the lead to 85-73 heading into the final break.
Enerhy cut the lead to five points (85-80) following a Cartier Martin trey with nine and a half minutes remaining . Sioux Falls responded as Leemire Goldwire converted a three-point play and a 3-pointer to increase the lead back to 11 points 90 seconds later. Iowa would not go down without a fight as they cut the lead to three points but Sioux Falls where perfect in their six free-throws in the final 33 seconds to defeat the last remaining undefeated team in the D League.
Earl Barron posted his second double-double of the season with 22 points and 12 rebounds. Mark Tyndale came of the bench to score 21 points while Martin added 14 points in his third game since rejoining Nurse’s team.
Nurse’s team now host fourth placed Erie on Saturday and Sunday. Iowa then break until Boxing Day when they travel to Erie, and stay overnight for a double-header.

Comments