Ricky Davis, Carlos Boozer Shine in Friday's BIG3 League Basketball 2018 Action
July 28, 2018
The intensity level is high in Week 6 of the 2018 BIG3 season with just two weeks of games remaining before the postseason begins.
Through the first five weeks, the 3 Headed Monsters remain the only undefeated team. They put their perfect record on the line Friday night against the Ball Hogs, who had lost four of their five games prior to tonight.
Friday's marquee matchup features Tri-State (4-1) looking to build a two-game lead in the standings over 3's Company (3-2). Power is tied in the standings with Tri-State and has a showdown with the Killer 3's (2-3) that will play a significant role in the postseason push.
3's Company 51, Tri-State 29
The battle for the final playoff spot got very interesting thanks to 3's Company's impressive 51-29 win over Tri-State.
Before diving into playoff implications, Andre Emmett nearly doubled his season scoring average (13 points per game) with 23 points in Friday's victory. The 35-year-old also added five rebounds, four assists and four steals for good measure.
Baron Davis, who ranks fourth in BIG3 with 19 points per game coming into Friday, didn't play for 3's Company. His team didn't skip a beat thanks to Emmett. DerMarr Johnson also played a key role with 14 points and five rebounds.
Tri-State never found a rhythm on offense with David Hawkins being the only player to reach double figures in scoring. Amar'e Stoudemire and Nate Robinson each contributed eight points in the loss.
This result moves 3's Company and Tri-State into a tie for the fourth playoff spot with matching 4-2 records. 3's Company holds the tiebreak thanks to this head-to-head victory and it plays the winless Ghost Ballers next week.
Power 50, Killer 3's 28
The second game of the night was a one-sided affair with Power 50 running all over the Killer 3's 50-28.
Looking to keep pace with the 3 Headed Monsters, Power 50 sent a message to all of the BIG3 teams. A loss would have dropped the squad into a tie with Tri-State for playoff positioning.
The trio of Glen Davis, Corey Maggette and Cuttino Mobley combined for 36 points, 19 rebounds and five assists.
By comparison, no one on the Killer 3's reached double figures in scoring. Metta World Peace led the way with nine points.
This was also a statement game, as the 3 Headed Monsters won earlier in the night to stay perfect this season. A looming showdown next Friday has the potential to be the best game of the season.
3 Headed Monsters 51, Ball Hogs 45
Having already clinched a playoff berth, the 3 Headed Monsters ran their record to 6-0 with a 51-45 come-from-behind victory over the Ball Hogs.
Reggie Evans was the star of the show for the Monsters with 24 points and nine rebounds. The 13-year NBA veteran used his size down low to hit a game-high 10 field goals, all of them from inside the three-point line.
Evans did get help from his teammates when Jamario Moon came up with a block that led to a dunk from Qyntel Woods to increase the 3 Headed Monsters' lead to seven points:
The Ball Hogs were in control during the first half, taking a 26-20 lead into the intermission. Jermaine Taylor did everything he could to get his team in the win column, with 12 of his 18 points coming from behind the arc.
Things figure to get more interesting for the 3 Headed Monsters next week when they take on Power 50 in a matchup that could determine the No. 1 overall seed in the postseason.
Ghost Ballers 50, Trilogy 41
The Ghost Ballers are finally in the win column.
After dropping their first five games of the season, the Ghost Ballers were able to glide past Trilogy thanks to 23 points from Ricky Davis and a steady 18-point, seven-rebound performance from Carlos Boozer.
Mike Bibby added nine points, a game-high nine boards, six assists and the game's lone make from the four-point circle:
Derrick Byars paced Trilogy with 15 points, while Al Harrington added 13 points as the team's only other double-figure scorer.
Trilogy now reside in the cellar by virtue of their head-to-head loss to Ghost Ballers. They will try to shed that label next week against the Ball Hogs, who are also 1-5.