The second round of matches in the Elite 1 Caribbean Basketball Winter League began as scheduled at 6:00 pm on Wednesday at the National Arena to a very involved and noisy set of spectators, with defending champion Horizon getting the better of the Waves and Storm defeating Rivers in contrasting fashion.
Horizon continued its winning ways and is now the sole leader with two wins after two rounds. They were pressured by the Waves who lead the first two quarters 24-16 and 37-34 and well into the third quarter before drawing level 54 a piece, and then inching past them with 4:42 to go in the fourth quarter and take the match 86-79 in a ding dong battle between the teams.
The top performers for Horizon were MVP for the previous competition Bobby Gray (22 points), Rasheed Maynard (17 points) and Nicholai Brown (11 points).
Cleon Morgan, coach of Horizon was pleased with the result "we started out slow compared to the previous game but we had a strategy even though the opponents were leading but the objective was to chip it little by little as we go along. Going into the third quarter we were also down but we started to chip it. We adjusted the defense a little, it worked for us and so we were able to pull off a victory today (Wednesday)."
The Waves came into the match on a high from its win against the Rivers in the first round. They were quick on the court with some smart plays but were eventually pegged back by Horizon. Waves' top scorers were Cameron Burhannan (40 points), Marin Dixon Green (14 points) and Lushane Wilson (10 points).
The other match-up pitched the Rivers against the Storm. They were looking for their first win, having both lost to Waves and Horizon respectively in the first round. The Storm came out blazing with a 35/7 first quarter but the Rivers outscored them 37-19 in the second quarter to close out the half at 44-54. The Storm re-grouped in the third quarter to extend their lead to 17 and end the quarter 79-62 in their favor after allowing the Rivers to come within three points in the quarter. The Rivers made a run 33-24 again in the fourth quarter but could not catch the Storm who posted 102 for the win to Rivers' 96.
The Storm's Brandon "BDot" Armstrong (31 points), Jayrn Johnson (25 points), Da'Rell Domine (17 points) and Roshane O'Brian (14 points) were the top scorers, while Ricky Shaford (27 points), Anthony Ottley (27 points) and Tre Brewer (25 points) were the main contributors the Rivers' score.
According to the Storm's coach Oneil Brown who spoke after the match, "I feel great. After the first game I must show respect to the guys who came back after the first game loss. They showed character and come out here and changed the way they played. This is a pro league, this is what pro teams do. We made adjustments and we changed the entire thing yesterday at practice because the first game did not work. We came out here with a plan and my team executed the plan and I am grateful for the victory." He credited top scorer BDot and Johnson and the entire team who stepped up their performance, for winning the match.
The four-team competition roster boasts overseas based pros from the USA, Canada and Barbados and fifty percent Jamaican amateurs.
The next set of matches on the four-team schedule will see Horizon taking on the winless Rivers while Storm will battle Waves on Saturday at the National Arena. The first match is scheduled for start at 6:00 pm while the second match will start at 8:00 pm.
NBA: Franz Wagner's 3-pointer with 2.5 seconds left lifts Magic, cools Lakers
Franz Wagner hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 2.5 seconds to play, and the Orlando Magic roared back to snap the Los Angeles Lakers' six-game winning streak with a 119-118 victory Thursday night.
Anthony Davis missed two free throws with 19 seconds left and then missed an 18-foot jumper at the buzzer for the Lakers, who lost to a Magic team playing without three starters in its third game in four nights.
Wagner scored 15 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter and added 11 assists for the Magic, who have won seven of eight. Jalen Suggs added 23 points, and Moritz Wagner had a season-high 19.
Davis had 39 points and nine rebounds for the Lakers, while LeBron James scored 14 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter.
Los Angeles lost at home for the first time in eight games as James and Davis combined to miss four of six free throws in the final 39 seconds, leaving the door open for Orlando.
Hornets get past Pistons 123-121 in overtime
Some of the top selections in the NBA Draft over the past few years put on a show Thursday night in the Charlotte Hornets’ 123-121 overtime win against the visiting Detroit Pistons.
Brandon Miller, the second overall pick in 2023, chipped in eight of his career-high 38 points in OT, while LaMelo Ball - the No. 3 pick in 2020 - contributed 35 points, nine assists and six rebounds to help Charlotte (6-9) win its fourth straight home game.
It was the first time in franchise history that two Hornets players each scored at least 35 points in the same game.
Miller and Ball combined to hit 12 of the Hornets’ 20 made 3-pointers, with Miller establishing a personal best with eight 3s. Miller also tied a career high with four steals.
Detroit (7-10) was led by 2021 No. 1 overall selection Cade Cunningham, who had 27 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds but left with a hip injury with 48 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.
Barrett scores 31, Barnes returns as Raptors defeat Timberwolves
RJ Barrett had his second straight 30-point game and former NBA Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes returned to the lineup as the Toronto Raptors defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 110-105 to post back-to-back victories for the first time this season.
Barrett scored 31 points after pouring in a season-high 39 in Monday’s 130-119 win over the Indiana Pacers that ended a seven-game losing streak for Toronto.
Wednesday’s victory improved Toronto to 4-4 at home compared to 0-8 on the road.
Barnes, the 2021-22 Rookie of the Year, was back in action for the first time since suffering a right orbital fracture on October 28 against the Denver Nuggets.
He had 17 points, six assists, three rebounds and a steal in 27 minutes.
Minnesota (8-7) failed to win a third straight game as Anthony Edwards, Julius Randle and Jaden McDaniels combined to score 71 of the team’s 105 points.
Dallas Mavericks star Doncic out at least one week
Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Dončić will be sidelined at least one week due to a strained right wrist, ESPN reported Thursday.
Doncic said after Dallas' 132-91 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday that he hurt his wrist in the first quarter, though he remained in the game and told reporters afterward he believed the injury to be "nothing serious."
The 2023-24 NBA MVP finalist had his wrist checked out Wednesday, according to ESPN, which revealed the strain.
Doncic is set to miss the entirety of Dallas' three-game road trip that begins with Friday's clash with the Denver Nuggets, as well as the Mavericks' next home game against the New York Knicks on Wednesday.
Doncic has missed just one of Dallas' first 15 games of this season, though his numbers are slightly down compared to his consecutive First Team All-NBA campaigns of 2022-23 and 2023-24. The five-time All-Star has shot 43.5 per cent from the field and 32.4 per cent from 3-point range while averaging 28.1 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7.6 assists per game.
The 25-year-old averaged 33.1 points, 8.9 rebounds and 8.9 assists over the course of the previous two seasons while shooting 49.1 per cent from the field and 36.5 per cent from beyond the arc.
Doncic's injury comes after the Mavericks were starting to gain traction following a sluggish start to this season. Tuesday's win was Dallas' third straight after it lost four consecutive games to fall to 5-7 over its first 12 contests.
The Mavericks are coming off a highly successful 2023-24 season in which they reached the NBA Finals for the first time since 2011. Dallas then made one of the offseason's more notable moves by acquiring four-time NBA champion Klay Thompson in a sign-and-trade with the Golden State Warriors.
George hyperextends knee in latest injury blow for Sixers
The Philadelphia 76ers could be without Paul George for several weeks after he suffered a hyperextended left knee during their defeat to the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday.
The Sixers' miserable start to the season continued as they suffered their 12th defeat in 14 games – and their fifth in a row – at FedExForum, going down 117-111.
Philadelphia fielded star trio George, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey together for the first time after the latter recovered from a hamstring injury, but George was forced to exit early in the second half.
George previously missed five games of preseason after hyperextending the same knee, and head coach Nick Nurse believes he could face a similar spell on the sidelines.
"I think they said it was similar to last time, which was a bone bruise, I think," Nurse said.
"He was actually fairly close to coming back in the game, but then it kind of stiffened up as he got out a little bit more, so I decided not to, and now we got to take a look at it, make sure."
However, Nurse was more upbeat when asked if the team could rule out structural damage to George's knee, saying: "I think so."
George only managed two points, four rebounds and two assists in his 17 minutes on court, going 1-of-6 shooting.
Despite Philadelphia continuing to be hamstrung by fitness concerns, Nurse admitted they had not done enough to warrant a better result.
"Listen, it's certainly not easy," Nurse said. "Tyrese was just getting back and didn't really have a feel tonight, and Paul going out...
"It's certainly not easy but we didn't put enough together again for 48."
The Sixers have seven games in the next 14 days, starting with Friday's home encounter with the Brooklyn Nets and ending against the Orlando Magic on December 6.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
