The Fall 2021 Regular Season is in the books, as we witnessed perhaps the best day of basketball in league history, with all five affairs being single-digit games. The Warriors took care of business to clinch the West Division, and the Bucks upset the Lakers to clinch the East Division. With all five games being as competitive as it was, it made for a truly great day of basketball. Read up on all the action here, as we prepare for this weekend's playoff tournament!
12:30 pm - Spurs defeated Suns by Forfeit
The Spurs improved to 10-3 as the Suns were forced to forfeit, having only three players. The Suns fall to 0-13 with the loss. The Spurs take on the Heat (7-6) next Sunday at 5:30 pm, while the Suns take on the Nets (6-7) at 12:30 pm to open the postseason tournament.
1:30 pm - Bulls 86, Celtics 79
In the first of five remarkable basketball games on the day, the Bulls toughed out a gritty win against a determined Celtics team, winning by a score of 86-79. In what may have been the Celtics best game of the entire season, as they scored their most points on the year, they could not stop the Big Three of the Bulls, who shot over 50% from three point range in the second half. Bobby Crivokapich led the way for the Bulls with 30 points, who came into the day needing a pair of wins and a Bucks loss to clinch the East Division. Benito Munoz had 28 points of his own, and Seth Johnson had 18 points and nine rebounds on the inside to continue his push for K1 player of the year. Despite having just five players present, the Bulls managed to light up the score board, particularly in a second half, where they had 48 points, led by a barrage from behind the long line. For the Celtics, they finally had their full team back together, and had four players score in double figures. They were led by all-star guard Mendi Naylor who had 21 points in his return since being placed on the COVID list. Jonathan Townsend had 18 points, as he continued his fantastic stretch of basketball, and Donald Ellis had 13 points. Walter Hudson would also chip in 12 points as the Celtics put together their best offensive performance of the entire season. Jay Slone led the charge on the glass with eight rebounds, as he was paired up with Johnson in a tough assignment. With the win, the Bulls improve to 8-4, and would be right back on the court for the second game of their doubleheader against the Nets, a team they lost to earlier in the season by double digits. The Celtics fall to 3-10 with the loss and will take on the Mavericks (2-11) next Sunday at 1:45 pm in the Round of 16 of the playoff tournament, a rematch of a thriller between these two teams that took place in Week 8.
2:30 pm - Nets 71, Bulls 65
In one of the more impressive comebacks in K1 League history, the Nets erased a 22-point second half deficit against the Bulls, along their way to a huge 71-65 win. In a game that was a must-win for the Bulls as they aimed to capture the East Division on Sunday, they rode their hot hands that carried over from the end of the Celtics game, opening up a 47-26 lead at the half. In a game where both teams had only five players, the fatigue of the Bulls appeared to set in about midway through the second half, as the Nets scored 45 points and shot over 50% from the field in the half. Per usual, Red Binion was the best player on the court, scoring 28 points and making 8/9 Free Throws for the Nets, despite nursing a lingering hamstring injury from the previous week. Binion was able to tough it out, along with Ronnie Jackson, who had one of his best games in the K1 League, scoring 26 points, grabbing nine rebounds, and dishing out six assists. Jerry Wills had seven rebounds and Nuke Williams had five rebounds, as they collectively tried to hold off Seth Johnson on the interior, For the Bulls, their Big Three would once again dominate, each scoring 20+ points, and scoring 61 of the team's 65 points. Benito Munoz had 21 points, while Bobby Crivokapich and Seth Johnson each had 20 points. Johnson had a game-high 13 rebounds, and Crivokapich had 12 rebounds. Just as the Bulls seemed to run out of gas physically in the second half, so too did their East Division chances, as they fell to 8-5 with the loss and would lose a tiebreaker with the Bucks, regardless of how their game went against the Lakers later in the day. The Bulls will take on the Lakers next Sunday at 6:45 pm in the quarterfinals of the playoff tournament, in a rematch of their Week 5 matchup when the Bulls upset the Lakers. For the Nets, they improved to 6-6 with the win, and would pick up their third win against the top two teams in the East Division. The Nets would be right back on the court for the second game of their doubleheader against the Warriors in a heavy weight battle.
3:30 pm - Warriors 83, Nets 76
In a game that was a tale of two halves, the Warriors would let a double-digit lead slip over the course of the second half, before recovering late to defeat the Nets 83-76 in a tense battle between two very talented teams. In a matchup that we will likely see next week in the quarterfinals, these two teams set the stage for a fiery rematch, as words were exchanged throughout the game. The Nets only had five players, and were on the second game of their doubleheader. The effects of this showed up early, as they found themselves down 51-35 at the half. Following an inspired start to the second half, the Nets would find themselves on top with just under two minutes to play. But the Warriors closed the game on a 9-0 run to secure their 11th win, and the West Division. The Nets shot 60% from the floor in the second half, and were once again led by Red Binion, who had 24 points. Maurice Terrell dominated in the paint with 22 points, and Ronnie Jackson had 19 points. The Nets will certainly draw confidence on their performance from this matchup, especially as they were without starters Mook Lawrence and TJ Wicks and were forced to play with just the five players. For the Warriors, Martavius Laster was electric, scoring 33 points on 13/19 shooting to lead all scorers. Otis Houston had 11 points and Sammie Hines had ten points. All eight players scored for the Warriors, and Latrell Tidwell led all Week 11 players with 14 rebounds. Perhaps the most intriguing part of this game is the fact that these two teams will almost certainly matchup again in just a few days' time in the quarterfinals of the playoff tournament. For the Nets, who fell to 6-7 with the loss, they will take on the Suns (0-13) at 12:30 pm in the Round of 16. If they win that matchup, they will then face this same Warriors team (11-2) at 3:00 pm in a clash of titans.
4:30 pm - Bucks 80, Lakers 74
In the Week 11 game of the week, the Bucks battled back from a double digit deficit at the half to pick up their biggest win of the season, knocking off the Lakers 80-74 in a gutsy performance. The Bucks were forced to play with just five players in this one, as they were without three of its five starters. The Lakers meanwhile only had six players, but had their starting five in the building. Following a fairly even start to the game, LJ Harris checked into the game for the Lakers midway through the first half, and helped put the Lakers up by 13 points at the break. The Lakers closed the first half on a big run, highlighted by four straight three-pointers. The Bucks decided to ditch the zone that they tried employing, and it ended up being one of the key differences in the game, along with guard Darien Bosby who went super human in the second half. Bosby led all scorers with a season-high 34 points, including six made three-pointers in the second half. The Lakers had no answer for Bosby, and the Bucks battled back over the course of the game, propelled by 50% shooting from behind the long line in the second half. Caleb Johnson had his best offensive game of the season, scoring 20 points. Jordan Logan had 11 points and ten rebounds, Austin Peters had ten points and six assists, and Jonathan Hentschel had ten rebounds. For the Lakers, Harris led the way with 23 points on an efficient 9/15 shooting from the field. Big man Rob Anderson took advantage of his size to score 14 points and grab eight rebounds, while Andre Robertson Jr. had 12 points. Andre Robertson had 11 points and Tone Brooks chipped in ten points. Although the Bucks had already clinched the East Division due to the Bulls' loss to the Nets, their win pushed them to 9-4 and ensured an East Division championship. The Bucks will take on the winner of the Celtics (3-10) and Mavericks (2-11) next Sunday at 4:15 pm in the quarterfinals. The Lakers fall to 9-4 with the loss and will be the number three seed in the West Division. They will take on the East Division's runner up in the Bulls (8-5) next Sunday at 6:45 pm in the quarterfinals.
5:30 pm - Heat 55, Mavericks 54
In the 65th and final game of the Fall 2021 Regular Season, the Heat and Mavericks did not disappoint as they battled for all forty minutes, in the Heat's one-point, come from behind 55-54 win. It was the same old story for the Mavericks on Sunday, who lost their fifth game of the season in single digits, despite leading 32-21 at the half. The Heat received a huge spark from KT Bobo, who had a game-high seven steals, including on three straight possessions in the early stages of the second half, as all three led to layups on the other end of the court. The Heat would force 17 turnovers in total, including ten from the Mavericks' top scorer, Braijon Thomas. For Thomas, who had missed the past two and a half games due to a heel injury, he led the way with 17 points and three steals in a much needed offensive spark for the Mavericks. Antwan Peterson and Patrick Allen each had 13 points, and led the way on the glass with nine rebounds and eight rebounds respectively. Jamir Hinds also added 11 points and seven rebounds. The Heat picked up their first win in four games, thanks to their defensive pressure in the second half, and Terrell Hendrix's 18 points. The Heat outscored the Mavericks 34-22 in the second half, and made 16 field goals in the half, compared to just seven for the Mavericks. Octavius Jefferson had nine points and six rebounds, while Bobo had eight points to go along with his seven steals for the Heat. The Heat improved to 7-6 with the win, to improve upon their 3-5 regular season record from a year ago. The Heat finish third in the East Division, and will take on the West Division's runner-up in the Spurs next Sunday at 5:30 pm in the quarterfinals. Despite being heavy underdogs going into this one, the Heat are one of just three teams to knock off the Spurs, thanks to a Week 5 win. The Mavericks meanwhile fall to 2-11 with the loss, and will have a Round of 16 matchup with the Celtics (3-10) next Sunday at 1:45 pm.