Following a stretch of blowout victories to start the day, Week 9 ended with a bang as the Warriors took home the game of the week in OT and the Bulls made a statement with two pivotal wins to move into first place in the East Division. Read up on all of the action here!
12:30 pm - Nets 115, Suns 40
The Nets started Week 9 with a bang, as they set the K1 League record for most points scored in a contest. The Nets defeated the Suns by a score of 115-40, behind 50 made field goals. K1 League Scoring leader Red Binion led the way with 36 points, while Ronnie Jackson had 22 points and ten rebounds. Mook Lawrence had 16 points and 12 rebounds, while TJ Wicks had 12 points, nine rebounds, and four blocks. Parrish Ward had 11 points and Jerry Wills had ten points. Maurice Terrell also added eight points and 12 rebounds for a Nets team that had six of its seven players score in double figures. For the Suns, Joey Mendoza led the way with 13 points, while Bryant Jackson had 11 points. The Nets outrebounded the Suns by a 57-25 margin and had an extra 33 shot attempts. They also had 17 steals to just four for the Suns. The Nets improve to 5-5 with the win and will take on the Spurs (8-3) in the Week 10 game of the week matchup next Sunday at 1:30 pm. For the Suns, they fall to 0-10 with the loss and will take on the Mavericks (1-10) next week at 3:30 pm.
1:30 pm - Lakers 91, Mavericks 71
The Lakers jumped out to a 15-2 lead and never looked back on their way to a 91-71 over the Mavericks. The Lakers took advantage of the fact that Braijon Thomas - the Mavericks leading scorer at 17.9 ppg - was unavailable due a lingering heel injury. Five out of six Lakers' players scored in double figures as LJ Harris led the way with 25 points and ten rebounds. Rob Anderson had 18 points, while Andre Robertson Jr. had 15 points. Andre Robertson chipped in 14 points of his own, while Tone Brooks had 12 points and 12 rebounds. For the Mavericks, Pat Allen led the way with 17 points, while Jamir Hinds had 16 points. Jaheim Allen had 15 points and Jamari Washington had 14 points, while big man Antwan Peterson led the way on the glass with 12 rebounds. The Lakers improve to 8-3 and will take on the Celtics (3-8) next week at 12:30 pm. With the loss, the Mavericks fall to 1-10 and will take on the Suns (0-10) next week at 3:30 pm.
2:30 pm - Spurs 109, Celtics 77
The Spurs offense was back to its usual self on Sunday, firing on all cylinders in a 109-77 win against the Celtics. The Spurs shot 50% from the field, made 15 three-pointers, and dished out a whopping 21 assists. Trey Johnson tied his season high with 28 points and had nine rebounds. Chris Green had his best game of the season with 26 points on just 14 shots, while also grabbing 14 rebounds. Dustin Rennewanz had himself a game as well, scoring 20 points as he knocked down six three-pointers. Dennis Koger added 14 points and 12 rebounds, while Marty Bothwell had 11 points of his own. For the Celtics, Jonathan Townsend led the offense with 21 points. Walter Hudson had 15 points, while Donald Ellis had 12 points. Jay Slone added 11 points and grabbed six rebounds. The Spurs improve to 8-3 with the win and will take on the Nets (5-5) next Sunday at 1:30 pm in the Week 10 game of the week matchup. The Celtics fall to 3-8 and will take on the Lakers (8-3) at 12:30 pm next week.
3:30 pm - Warriors 89, Bucks 84, F/OT
The Week 9 game of the week matchup certainly did not disappoint, as the Bucks came roaring back from a double-digit deficit in the second half to force OT. However the Warriors were a bit too strong in the end, as they took down the Bucks by a score of 89-84. The Warriors biggest advantage came on the interior, where they outrebounded the Bucks by 13. Latrell Tidwell was unstoppable in the second half and OT, scoring 20 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Martavius Laster had 17 points, while Sammie Hines had 11 points and ten rebounds. Otis Houston also had 11 points for the Warriors, while Jared Harris had eight points and nine rebounds. The Bucks were led by Christian Straw and Jordan Logan who each had 17 points. Jaquan Boxley had 14 points, Darien Bosby had 13 points, and Caleb Johnson had 11 points for the Bucks. Despite being without reigning player-of-the-year Kale Maupin, the Bucks were able to hold their own against the mighty Warriors, despite the serious lack of size. The Bucks shot a whopping 59 three-pointers in the loss, connecting on 17 of them. The Warriors improve to a league-best 8-2 with the win and will take on the Bulls (7-3) next week at 5:30 pm. The Bucks fall to 7-3 with the loss and would be right back on the court for the second game of their doubleheader against the Bulls.
4:30 pm - Bucks 93, Bulls 80
Seth Johnson was the story in this one, finishing with a ridiculous 41 points and 21 rebounds along the way to a massive East Division win for the Bulls, by a score of 93-80 against the Bucks. Although the undermanned Bucks were able to hold their own against the Warriors, the absence of Kale Maupin reared its ugly head in this one, as the Bulls outrebounded the Bucks by 30 on the glass, 49-19. Despite getting annihilated on the glass, the Bucks actually led for the first 30 minutes of the game, before the doubleheader fatigue began to show. Leading scorer Jordan Logan for the Bucks missed this game due to a partially dislocated shoulder, and the Bucks were forced to play with just six guys. The Bulls took advantage of this, behind Johnson's immaculate performance. Benito Munoz had 15 points, Marcell Maiden and Bobby Crivokapich each had 12 points. Matt Wells chipped in ten points. For the Bucks, Christian Straw had 19 points and Darien Bosby had 16 points. Caleb Johnson had 14 points, Jaquan Boxley had 13 points, and Austin Peters had 12 points. With the pair of losses on the day, the Bucks fall to 7-4 on the year and now sit one game behind the Bulls in the East Division. They will take on the Heat (6-5) next week at 2:30 pm. For the Bulls, the big win improves their record to 6-3, and they would be right back on the court against the Heat in another crucial East Division clash.
5:30 pm - Bulls 77, Heat 73
Despite being down 50-40 part way through the second half, the Bulls pulled off another massive win against an East Division opponent, as they moved into first place with a 77-73 comeback win against the Heat. Although the Bulls were visibly exhausted due to the back-to-back games, they caught a second wave, finishing the game on a 37-23 run. In a matchup of two of the league's best guards, Benito Munoz and Terrell Hendrix did not disappoint. Munoz had 24 points to lead the Bulls, while the Heat's Hendrix led all scorers with 28 points. Seth Johnson had another big game, scoring 21 points and grabbing 17 rebounds. Bobby Crivokapich had 17 points and ten rebounds, while Matt Wells had eleven points. In addition to Hendrix's performance, the Heat were led by Octavius Jefferson's 12 points and Ke'Sean William's 11 points. One of the key storylines in the game was point guard Alonzo King's foul trouble, who fouled out of the game fairly early in the second half. Despite playing less than half the game, he still finished with six points and seven rebounds, but was missed dearly on both ends of the court for the Heat. With the biggest of double header sweeps, the Bulls improve to 7-3, and for the first time since Week 1, find themselves in first place in the East Division, leading the Bucks (7-4) by one game. With their third loss in four games, the Heat fall to 6-5, and will take on the Bucks next week at 2:30 pm for one final East Division clash.