BIG3 League Basketball 2019 Results: Lamar Odom Returns, Winners from Saturday
June 23, 2019
The BIG3 kicked off its third season Saturday with a trio of games at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.
Two of the games were 2017 and 2018 championship-game rematches, with Trilogy taking on 3 Headed Monsters and Power facing 3's Company.
The other matchup featured two of the league's four expansion teams in Enemies and Bivouac.
Here's a look at the results and recaps from BIG3's opening night.
Game Results
3 Headed Monsters 51, Trilogy 46
Power 50, 3's Company 38
Bivouac 50, Enemies 43
3 Headed Monsters 51, Trilogy 46
The 3 Headed Monsters got their revenge for a 2017 championship defeat at the hands of Trilogy, as they won 51-46.
Reggie Evans posted 22 points and 24 rebounds and naturally capped off the win with an offensive rebound and putback after he bullied his way to the rim.
Evans, who played in the NBA from 2002 to 2015 with seven different teams, nearly did whatever he wanted in the paint all night, like when he threw down this dunk to put his team up 37-28:
However, Sam Young got the best of him when he went all the way up on this block:
Rashard Lewis, a 16-year NBA veteran who scored 14.9 points per game, added 18 points and 12 rebounds for the Monsters.
However, the most impressive player on the court may have been Monsters guard Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, who's still going strong at age 50.
Abdul-Rauf contributed nine points, four assists and two steals despite playing college basketball before 3 Headed Monsters teammate and 30-year-old Larry Sanders was born.
Speaking of Sanders, he used the occasion to propose at halftime to his girlfriend:
Overall, it was a great debut for 3 Headed Monsters, as they held off a balanced Trilogy scoring attack led by James White's 17 points.
Patrick O'Bryant added 10, David Hawkins pitched in nine and Young contributed eight. Jason "The Jet" Terry, a 19-year NBA vet who posted 13.4 points per game, added two points, four boards, two steals and a dime.
On Saturday, June 29, Trilogy will face Triplets in Charlotte, North Carolina. The following day, 3 Headed Monsters will play a new expansion team, Aliens, in Philadelphia.
Tipoff in Charlotte is at noon ET, and the action starts in Philadelphia at 5 p.m.
Power 50, 3's Company 38
Cuttino Mobley turned back the clock with 28 points as Power beat 3's Company 50-38.
Power started the season as they ended the last one with a win over 3's Company. Last year's game resulted in a 51-43 score, but this year's contest was more one-sided.
Mobley, who scored 16.0 points per game and shot 37.8 percent from the three-point line over 11 NBA seasons, was outscoring 3's Company until the late stages of the game, when his opponent went on a late run to make the score more respectable.
Mobley proved unstoppable Saturday, routinely dropping three-pointers in his opponents' faces:
Power also got some excellent low-post play from a few fan favorites in Chris "Birdman" Andersen and Glen "Big Baby" Davis.
Anderson finished this play to pad a Power lead they would not relinquish:
And Davis finished the game with a sweet turnaround jumper after backing Drew Gooden into the lane:
Anderson finished with six points, 10 boards and a block. Davis pitched in four points and five rebounds.
To their credit, 3's Company did not go away quietly, as this DerMarr Johnson four-pointer helped keep his team alive:
However, Power proved too strong en route to opening the 2019 season with a victory.
Gooden led 3's Company with 12 points, and Dijon Thompson added 10. Johnson scored eight, and Andre Emmett stuffed the statsheet with six points, seven rebounds and three dimes.
Power faces Tri State on Sunday, June 30 in Philadelphia. As for 3's Company, they'll look to get back on track Saturday, June 29, against Killer 3s in Charlotte.
Bivouac 50, Enemies 43
Will Bynum scored 22 points and Anthony Morrow added 16 as Bivouac beat Enemies 50-43.
C.J. Leslie added a near double-double with nine points and nine boards for Bivouac. Craig Smith of Enemies did register a double-double with a game-high 26 points and 11 rebounds. Frank Robinson of Enemies led everyone on the glass with 14 boards, and Perry Jones scored 10.
However, the story of this game wasn't about who did the best on the court, nor was it about two expansion teams making their debuts.
Rather, it was about two notable comebacks from former NBA players.
First, Royce White made his debut for Enemies.
White, who has generalized anxiety disorder and fears flying, was drafted 16th overall by the Houston Rockets in 2012.
His career stopped before it ever really started, as he only played in three NBA games during the 2013-14 season with the Sacramento Kings. However, White was a fantastic talent at Iowa State, averaging 13.4 points, 9.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists during his lone season there.
White didn't see much court time Saturday unfortunately, as a shoving match with Josh Smith led to both getting ejected from the game early in the first half.
Second, Lamar Odom came back to the hardwood.
Odom has been addicted to drugs and had depression, and he was found unconscious at a Las Vegas brothel in 2015. However, he appears to be in a much better place today.
Odom also provided a halftime interview:
The forward played 14 NBA seasons, winning two NBA championships and a Sixth Man of the Year Award. He didn't produce much Saturday (two points, four rebounds), but that paled in comparison to his return.
White and Odom will take the court for Enemies when they face Ball Hogs on Saturday in Charlotte. Bivouac will go for its second win against Ghost Ballers on Sunday in Philadelphia.