Week 2 of the Fall K1 League saw several teams pull away and win rather comfortably in the end, however sandwiched in the middle was a thrilling West Division matchup between the Spurs and Warriors, that went to OT. Read all about Week 2's action here.
12:30 pm - Celtics 61, Suns 47
Week 2 kicked off with the Celtics and Suns, two teams hoping to bounce back from a big defeat in Week 1. The game was close in the early stages of the first half, before the Celtics opened up a 15-point halftime lead. The Suns would battle back, trimming the deficit to just seven points with about eight minutes to play in the game, but the Celtics went on a big run to close out the game. The Celtics were led by Donald Ellis, who had an impressive 17 points and six rebounds. Walter Hudson had 11 points, while Isaiah Dean had 10 points. Row Gebre had nine points and nine rebounds, while Jay Slone impressed in his debut with six points and nine rebounds. For the Suns, who looked a lot sharper than a week ago, welcomed Devonte Johnson to the team, who had 14 points. Michael Lonergan Jr. was another bright spot for the suns, finishing just three assists shy of a triple double. He had 10 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists. The Celtics improve to 1-1 and will take on the Heat (1-1) next week in a big East Division matchup, while the Suns fall to 0-2 and have a tough task against the loaded Lakers (2-0).
1:30 pm - Bucks 72, Bulls 51
In a matchup of some of the best scorers from the K1 Spring League, it was several new faces that shined for the Bucks, alongside reigning player-of-the-year Kale Maupin, in a convincing 72-51 win against the Bulls. Guard Lou Griffith, who made his league debut on Sunday, was the best player on the court, dropping 26 points, grabbing four rebounds, and coming up with three steals. Alongside Griffith was Jordan Logan, who impressed again with 17 points. Although he only had seven points, Maupin was a monster on the boards, hauling in 14 rebounds, dishing out a game-high six assists, and slowing down Bulls' big-man Seth Johnson. Jaquan Boxley also had nine points for the Bucks. For the Bulls, a rough first half defensively, saw them down 38-21 at the break, a deficit they would not be able to recover from. Bulls' guard Marcell Maiden had a solid game, scoring 14 points and grabbing six rebounds. Johnson would end up with 12 points and 7 rebounds, while Bobby Crivokapich had just five points, in a great defensive performance from the Bucks' defense. One bright spot for the Bulls was Benito Munoz, who had 11 points in his league debut. The Bucks improve to 2-0 and are now the lone undefeated team in the East Division. They will have a blockbuster matchup against the Spurs (2-1) in the Week 3 game-of-the-week at 12:30 pm. For the Bulls, who fall to 1-1, they will take on the Nets (0-2) in an intriguing East Division matchup next week at 5:30 pm.
2:30 pm - Warriors 67, Heat 56
In the Week 2 game-of-the-week matchup, a costly first four minutes for the Heat would be the difference in the game. The Warriors, who jumped out to an early 15-4 lead, would use that 11-point advantage and play the Heat even the rest of the game, on their way to a 67-56 win. For the Heat, who can score with any team in the K1 League, a lack of discipline in taking care of the ball and boxing out cost them in the end. The Heat had a season-high 21 turnovers, and the Warriors managed a whopping 15 offensive rebounds. Martavius Laster continued with his impressive play, scoring 17 points on 7/13 shooting. Sammie Hines added 11 points and Jared Harris had 9 points. Overall, the Warriors had a season-high 13 steals in the win. The Heat's Terrell Hendrix was on fire, scoring 26 points on 10/16 shooting from the field. Octavius Jefferson had a nice game, chipping in 11 points of his own. No one else from the Heat was able to score in double figures. The Warriors improve to 2-0 with the win, while the Heat fall to 1-1. The Heat will be back in action next week in a big East Division matchup against the Celtics (1-1) at 1:30 pm.
3:30 pm - Spurs 70, Warriors 64, F/OT
Two of the league's top teams squared off in an epic contest on Sunday afternoon. The Warriors, who were on their second game of a back-to-back, got off to a slow start, struggling to hold their own on the boards, against the larger Spurs team. After scoring 44 points in the first half against the Heat, the Warriors had just 16 points in the first half against the Spurs, trailing by a score of 24-16. The Spurs came out firing in the second half, extending their lead to 41-24 with 13:45 remaining. Following a Warriors timeout, Martavius Laster went into beast mode, and propelled the Warriors to a 45-28 run to end the second half, as he scored 27 of game-high 29 points in the second half. After missing a shot at the buzzer with a chance to win, the Spurs would bounce back in OT, outscoring the Warriors 11-5. Dennis Koger and Ray Lawrence each had 16 points for the Spurs, while Trey Johnson had 15 points and Ryan Kvasnicka impressed in his league debut with 14 points. In addition to Laster's 29 points, Sammie Hines had 13 points and Tyree Mosley added 12 points. The Warriors fall to 2-1 and will face the Mavericks (0-2) at 4:30 pm next Sunday. The Spurs' victory evens up their record at 1-1.
4:30 pm - Spurs 96, Mavericks 61
After a big win against the Warriors, the Spurs followed it up with an offensive onslaught against the Mavericks, nearing surpassing the century mark in a 96-61 win. All eight players on the roster scored, including five in double figures. Sharpshooter Dustin Rennewanz led the way with 19 points, Dennis Koger had 18 points, Trey Johnson and Chris Green each had 16 points, while Austin Halcomb had 10 points. The Spurs shot 38/70 from the field (54.3%), including 14-28 (50%) from three-point land. The Spurs had 19 assists as a team, and out-rebounded the Mavericks by a margin of 41-26. The Mavericks were led by Braijon Thomas, who had 20 points in is Fall League debut. Jamari Washington impressed as well, scoring 18 points. For the Mavericks, they fall to 0-2, and continue with a difficult stretch of the schedule with a doubleheader next week against the Lakers (2-0) and the Warriors (2-1) starting at 3:30 pm. The Spurs improve to 2-1 with the win and will take on the undefeated Bucks (2-0) in the Week 3 game-of-the-week at 12:30 pm.
5:30 pm - Lakers 66, Nets 50
The final game of the day saw the Lakers defeat the Nets by a score of 66-50. For the Lakers, who kicked off the season with a big-time win against the defending champion Spurs a year ago, their roster looked a whole lot different on Sunday, as they were without four of their players. The Lakers were able to win the "6 vs. 6" battle, as the Nets also only had six players. Antonio had a marvelous game, scoring 27 points on an efficient 8/14 shooting. He went 5/7 from behind the long line and made all six of his FT's. Andre Robertson Jr. had another outstanding performance, scoring 16 points and logging three steals, while LJ Harris had 14 points and nine rebounds. Mook Lawrence had a great game for the Nets, scoring 19 points and grabbing eight rebounds. Ronnie Jackson continued to score the ball as he had 16 points and also grabbed five rebounds. The Lakers improve to 2-0 and will look forward to a doubleheader next weekend against the Suns (0-2) and the Mavericks (0-2). The Nets meanwhile fall to 0-2, and will look to bounce back against the Bulls (1-1) in an East Division matchup at 5:30 pm.