Week 6 was an incredible day of basketball, highlighted by one of the most incredible games in K1 League History. In surprising fashion, only one team in the league remains with just a single loss, while four different teams find themselves sitting with just two losses. As the race for divisonal titles heats up, catch up on all the action from an action-packed Sunday at the K1 League.
12:30 pm - Nets 73, Mavericks 69
Week 6 started off with a dandy of a ball game, as the Mavericks played one of their best games to date. Unfortunately for them, they couldn't hold a 42-34 halftime lead, as the Nets came storming back to edge the Mavericks, 73-69. Red Binion played yet another fantastic ball game, scoring 26 points. He was accompanied by 13 points from both Nuke Williams and TJ Wicks. For Wicks, he also had five rebounds and a season-high five blocks, in what was maybe his best game ever at Kankakee First Church. Ronnie Jackson also chipped in eleven points for the Nets, as they improve to 3-4 with the win, bouncing back from a pair of Week 6 losses via forfeit. On the Mavericks' side, Jamir Hinds had 25 points, and Braijon Thomas had 22 points, as the Mavs saw their three-point shooting percentage stay above 40% for the first time this year. Their demise would ultimately be a few too many turnovers down the stretch, as well as poor shot selection. With the loss, the Mavericks fall to 0-7, and will look forward to Week 7 where they have two chances to pick up their first win of the year. In the 1:30 pm game, they will take on the Warriors (5-2), before facing the Suns (0-6) in the 2:30 pm game, the Week 7 game of the week matchup.
1:30 pm - Spurs 86, Bulls 71
The Spurs got back in the win column on Sunday, outscoring the Bulls in a shootout. Following a shock loss the Heat in Week 6, the Spurs had four players score in double digits, led by big man Trey Johnson, who had 27 points, eleven rebounds, and six blocks. While both teams shot the ball well, the big difference came on the glass, where the Spurs were able to minimize the damage from the Bulls' Seth Johnson. Even though Seth Johnson had 17 points and 14 rebounds, the Spurs outrebounded the Bulls by a 48-35 margin. In addition to Trey Johnson's eleven rebounds, Ryan Kvasnicka had 14 rebounds and Dennis Koger had 12 rebounds. Koger also added 19 points, while Ray Lawrence had 15 points. In the loss for the Bulls, Benito Munoz continued his stellar play, scoring 28 points, grabbing seven rebounds, and logging four assists. For Munoz, he is third in the K1 League in scoring, trailing only Red Binion (26 ppg) and Lavell McIntosh (22 ppg). Although the Bulls' winning streak was snapped on Sunday, they showed that they could play with the defending champion Spurs, a team that has run through a lot of teams in the K1 League. The Bulls' record now sits at 3-3, and they will open up Week 7 play against the Celtics (2-6) at 12:30 pm. The Spurs improve to 5-2 with their win and will have their sights set on the Lakers (6-2) who knocked them off back in Week 1. This matchup is scheduled for 3:30 pm.
2:30 pm - Lakers 80, Warriors 69 F/OT
In one of the most electric moments in the history of the K1 League, Tone Brooks went on a run like never seen before, bringing the Lakers from behind to take down the Warriors, 80-69 in OT. With his team trailing by eleven points with under four minutes remaining in the game, Brooks scored 27 of his game-high 30 points in the final four minutes or regulation and OT to lead the Lakers to an improbable win. Following LJ Harris' return to the court after missing the Lakers' previous two games, he was unstoppable in the first half, scoring 19 points in the first 10 minutes of the game, along the way to his career-best 28 point performance. However with the exception of Harris' play, the Warriors had their way for the first 36 minutes of the game, as their depth and balanced scoring attack was evident. Martavius Laster was terrific again scoring 21 points, while Tyree Mosley had 19 points and Sammie Hines had 18 points. Perhaps the biggest storyline for the Warriors was the lack of big man Latrell Tidwell. The Warriors were forced to play without him, as well as Hines, who fouled out with just under three minutes to play in the game. The Lakers used this to their advantage, but just barely, as the clock nearly ran out on them. With the come from behind win, the Lakers improve to 6-2, and snap their two-game skid. The Warriors meanwhile fall to 5-2, as the West's Big 3 finds themselves deadlocked at the top of the division standings yet again. The Warriors face the Mavericks (0-7) next week at 1:30 pm, while the Lakers take on the Spurs (5-2) in an epic rematch of Week 1's thriller.
3:30 pm - Bucks 73, Celtics 54
The Bucks improved to a league-best 6-1 with another gritty win on Sunday, beating the Celtics by a score of 73-54. Despite being without Kale Maupin for a third consecutive game, the Bucks found a way to dissect the Celtics' zone, shooting nearly 50% from behind the long line (13/28), and dishing out 15 assists in the win. Jaquan Boxley led the way with 19 points, while Jordan Logan had 16 points. Caleb Johnson had a season-high 14 points, and Austin Peters had 10 points. Perhaps the biggest improvement for the Bucks was on the glass, where they played the Celtics even in terms of rebounding margin. Back in their Week 5 matchup, the Celtics grabbed 24 offensive rebounds. On Sunday, however, the Celtics only were able to come down with eight. Mendi Naylor played a great ball game, scoring 18 points, and he was accompanied by Walter Hudson, who chipped in 16 points. Past this though, the lack of playmakers showed up again in big ways on Sunday for the Celtics, who were without Donald Ellis, their second-leading scorer. The Celtics fell to 2-6 with the loss, and would be right back on the court for the second end of a doubleheader against the Heat in the 4:30 pm game. For the Bucks, their 6-1 record leaves them atop the standings in the K1 League, as they are the only team remaining with just a single loss. Their strength of schedule will pick up in a big way this upcoming Sunday, as they take on the 5-2 Heat in a battle for first place in the East Division. This matchup will take place at 4:30 pm.
4:30 pm - Heat 66, Celtics 48
The Celtics were right back on the court for the second game of a doubleheader, but had their hands full against a scorching-hot Heat team, as they only had seven players dressed for the contest. The fresher, deeper pink team, used an early surge of momentum to get out to a 25-8 lead, and never looked back in a dominating 66-48 win. The Celtics were without Ellis and captain Deangelo Sanders, as they only played with two true guards in Mendi Naylor and Walter Hudson. The Heat, who have one of the best sets of guards in the league, went to work early and often as they had both 15 assists and 15 steals. Terrell Hendrix continued his stellar play, scoring 28 points and grabbing eleven rebounds. Point guard Alonzo King had another solid game, chipping in sixteen points of his own. Despite being outrebounded by the Celtics, the Heat managed to shoot 17 more shots than the Celtics. Jonathan Townsend had 13 points for the Celtics, while Hudson and Row Gebre each had ten points. The Celtics fall to 2-6 with the loss, and for the first time this season, find themselves in last place in the East division. They will have a chance to bounce back in Week 7 when they take on the Bulls (3-3) in the early game. For the Heat, they improve to 4-2 with the win, and would be right back on the carpeted courts of K1 against the winless Suns to close out Week 6's slate of action.
5:30 pm - Heat 97, Suns 60
The scorching-hot Heat improved to 5-2 on Sunday with a 97-60 win against the Suns to close out Week 6 play in the K1 Fall League. In what was a unique situation, as the Suns only had four players present for the contest, the Heat took a remarkable 83 shots, along the way to scoring a season-high 97 points. Terrell Hendrix had 21 points, as he has broken the 17-point mark in every single game this year for the Heat. Jordan Winfield had a career-best 20 points, while Octavius Jefferson had 17 points. Alonzo King had 12 points, while JJ Calvin had nine points and a game-high 13 rebounds. For the Suns, who played hard for 40 minutes, all four players scored in double figures, led by Joey Mendoza who had a career-high 18 points. Devonte Barnes had 15 points, Michael Lonergan Jr. had 14 points, and Ferra Johnson had 13 points. Lonergan Jr. had himself quite the game, as he nearly logged a triple double. He had ten rebounds and nine assists to go along with his 14 points. With the loss, the Suns now sit at 0-6 on the year and will have an intriguing matchup in Week 7 against the winless Mavericks (0-7) at 2:30 pm. The Heat improve to 5-2 with the victory as they lock horns with the Bucks (6-1) next week at 4:30 pm in a East Division matchup with monumental implications.