The 2021 Fall K1 League kicked off on Sunday afternoon with five games. With a new look format this year, members from the East and West divisions took to the court for the first time in what is a 13-game regular season. Catch up on all the action here:
2:30 pm - Bucks 77, Suns 42
The new-look Bucks scored early and often along their way to a 77-42 win against the Suns. Despite scoring 29 points in the second half, the Suns were unable to put a dent in the Bucks' lead, who got off to a quick 29-5 lead to start game. In his Bucks debut, Darien Bosby led all scorers with 19 points and also pulled down 9 rebounds. Reigning player-of-the-year Kale Maupin had 17 points and 10 rebounds, Jordan Logan had 15 points and 11 rebounds, while Christian Straw added 10 points. For the Suns, Miyon Dabney led the way with 11 points. Michael Lonergan Jr. had 9 points and 9 rebounds, while Ferra Johnson chipped in 8 points and 9 rebounds. The Suns were forced to play with just six players, as they were without a third of their roster. The Bucks will face the Bulls (1-0) next week at 1:30 pm in a pivotal East division matchup, while the Suns take on the Celtics (0-1) at 12:30 pm to start the Week 2 action.
3:30 pm - Bulls 55, Mavericks 51
In an exciting back and forth contest, the Bulls edged the Mavericks by a score of 55-51 in the second game of the afternoon. Seth Johnson led the way with 18 points and 13 rebounds, while Bobby Crivokapich had 14 points and 9 rebounds. Matt Wells added 12 points of his own. For the Mavericks, Antwan Peterson was assigned the tough task of guarding big man Seth Johnson. While Johnson finished as the leading scorer in the contest, Peterson held his own on the offensive end of the court, scoring 16 points, including a stretch towards the end of the second half where he hit four consecutive three-pointers. Jamir Hinds was the other scorer in double figures for the Mavs, with 10 points. The Bulls will face the Bucks (1-0) next week at 1:30 pm. Meanwhile the Mavericks fall will square off against the Spurs (0-1) next week at 4:30 pm.
4:30 pm - Lakers 60, Spurs 57
In a clash of the titans in Week 1's game of the week, the defending champion Spurs were knocked off by a score of 60-57 against the high-powered Lakers. For the Lakers, a semifinalist team in the spring, several key additions to the roster have put them in the conversation of who the league's best team may be - and they wasted no time in proving that. As deep as any team in the league, Andre Robertson's Lakers had just two scorers in double figures. His son Andre Robertson Jr. led the way with 14 points; big man Rob Anderson added 10 points. Antonio Brooks and LJ Harris each had 9 points, while Omar Grant had 8 points. For the Spurs, Chris Green was outstanding, leading all scorers with 21 points. Ray Lawrence added 13 points, while newcomer Austin "Tank" Halcomb had 10 points and 8 rebounds. The Lakers will take on the Nets (0-1) next week at 5:30 pm, while the Spurs will look to bounce back against the Warriors (1-0) at 3:30 pm and the Mavericks (0-1) at 4:30 pm in a tough doubleheader.
5:30 pm - Warriors 74, Celtics 51
The Warriors got off to a fast start in their league debut, scoring 42 first-half points, along their way to a dominating 74-51 win against the Celtics. The Warriors would finish the game shooting 47% from the field, as they were led by Tyree Mosley and Martavius Laster, who had 16 points and 15 points respectively. Jared Harris added 12 points in his Warriors debut, while Sammie Hines had 12 points. The Celtics showed flashes off great offensive play, but were unable to slow down a Warriors offense that finished with 17 assists and scored at will in transition. Mendi Naylor had 10 points, Jonathan Townsend had 9 points, and Antonio Phillips had 8 points to lead the way for the Celtics. The Celtics will face the Suns (0-1) at 12:30 pm to kick off Week 2's action. Meanwhile the Warriors have a very difficult doubleheader next Sunday against two of the top teams in the league - first the Heat (1-0) at 3:30 pm in the K1 Game of the Week, followed by the defending champion Spurs (0-1) at 4:30 pm.
6:30 pm - Heat 68, Nets 59 F/OT
To close out Sunday's action, a thrilling battle between the Nets and Heat needed an extra period to settle the score. In the end, the Heat would prevail by a score of 68-59 in OT, bouncing back from a foul call at the end of regulation that gave the Nets a chance to win the game with three free throws at the buzzer. Ronnie Jackson made two of three free throws to force OT, but the extra period belonged entirely to the Heat, who outscored the shorthanded Nets 11-2 in the extra period. The Nets were forced to play with just five players, and appeared as though they would struggle to keep pace with the younger, deeper Heat team. However led by 21 points from Ronnie Jackson, the Nets stormed back from a 34-19 deficit at the break to make it a game. Joe Lightfoot had 17 points in his league debut, while Jerry Will had 10 points. For the Nets, their hopes of winning the East division got off to a great start, as Blake Graham was exceptional in his debut for the Heat, scoring 23 points and grabbing 8 rebounds. Terrell Hendrix had 17 points of his own, while KT Bobo had 8 points. The Heat will face one of the league's giants in the Warriors (1-0) in the Week 2 game of the week at 3:30 pm. The Nets will look to bounce back against the Lakers (1-0) in the 5:30 pm game.