BIG3 League Basketball 2019 Results: Gilbert Arenas, Joe Johnson Shine in Wins
June 29, 2019
Week 2 of the 2019 BIG3 season kicked off on Saturday with three games from the Spectrum Center in Charlotte.
Power, Ghost Ballers and Triplets were the most impressive teams during the opening week, and all three are looking to keep their positive momentum going after scoring double-digit victories in Week 1.
The big story this week was the BIG3 debut of former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas. He led the Enemies to a comeback victory over the Ball Hogs, scoring 13 points on four made baskets.
Here are the results from Saturday's trio of games.
BIG3 Week 2 Scores
Triplets 51, Trilogy 41
Enemies 50, Ball Hogs 45
Killer 3's 50, 3's Company 32
Enemies 50, Ball Hogs 45
Arenas couldn't have asked for a better start to his BIG3 career to help the Enemies earn a 50-45 win over the Ball Hogs. He opened the scoring with a three from the corner:
For most of the first half, that seemed like it would be the biggest highlight for the Enemies. The Ball Hogs dominated things early on, storming out to a 26-13 advantage at halftime after Will McDonald and DeShawn Stevenson lit up the scoreboard with a combined 37 points and 14 rebounds.
Whatever head coach Rick Barry is telling the Ball Hogs during the intermission, he might need to change it up; his team has averaged 17.5 points in the second half through two games.
With the Ball Hogs unable to make anything happen in the second half, the Enemies capitalized by going on an 11-0 run after trailing 36-22.
Arenas capped off the comeback with a walk-off free throw:
Agent Zero was playing in his first professional game since a stint with the Shanghai Sharks in the Chinese Basketball Association that ended in 2013. The 37-year-old showed he still has some of the touch that made him a dominant scorer at his peak with the Washington Wizards.
Triplets 51, Trilogy 41
The Triplets had little trouble securing their second straight win to open the season, knocking off the Trilogy 51-41 in the opening game of Week 2.
Joe Johnson remains a scoring machine, with 20 points in addition to grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out five assists. He was the second-leading scorer in Week 1 with 27 points, trailing the Power's Cuttino Mobley (28).
In celebration of his 38th birthday, Johnson provided one of the day's best highlights by hitting the game-winner from the four-point marker:
Johnson was also able to get his teammates involved, like when he found Chris Johnson for an easy dunk midway through the first half.
The Triplets also got key a key contribution from co-captain Al Jefferson, who chipped in with 14 points and five rebounds.
While the offense was busy doing its thing, the Triplets' defense stepped up yet again. James White was the only player on the Trilogy to reach double-digits in scoring (18 points), and they only managed five assists on 17 made field goals.
It's still early in the year, but the Triplets have proven to be a difficult matchup. Both of their wins have come by 10 points, but they have had two very different performances through two weeks; their win over Aliens included a 30-14 second-half run after trailing by six at halftime.
Saturday against Trilogy was just a swarming attack on both sides of the ball for the Triplets, who couldn't have asked for a better start to the season heading into next week's matchup with the Bivouac.
Killer 3's 50, 3's Company 32
After needing sudden death to win last week, Killer 3's made quick work of 3's Company with a 50-32 blowout. Stephen Jackson went off for 22 points, including two three-pointers and one four-pointer.
Franklin Session put the finishing touches on Killer 3's victory with this shot from behind the arc:
Despite the lopsided score, 3's Company were able to keep things close throughout the first half, and it was a one-point game before C.J. Watson's acrobatic layup started to open things up:
That seemed to provide a spark for Killer 3's, who would go on a 16-2 run from that point to blow things wide open.
Just like the Enemies this week, Killer 3's had to play the role of comeback kids in Week 1 against Tri-State. The squad fell behind 26-17 going into the break before dropping 37 in the second half to secure a narrow 54-52 win.
Killer 3's have been notoriously slow starters in the first two years of BIG3 basketball, opening 0-2 in 2017 and splitting their first two games last year. They had the worst record in the league in 2017 (2-6), so already matching that win total is a great sign as they look to make the postseason for the first time.
Next week will be the first major test for Killer 3's with a showdown against the 3 Headed Monsters, who have finished in the top three in each of the past two years.