Caver’s career night for naught in Hustle loss to Blue
The Memphis Hustle, the Grizzlies’ NBA G League affiliate, fell to the Oklahoma City Blue 120-104 inside HP Field House on Wednesday night. Memphis guard Ahmad Caver tallied a career-high 35 points, but it would not be enough to overcome a strong shooting performance from Oklahoma City.
The Blue used a 10-0 run to grab control of the game early on following a 3-pointer from Antonius Cleveland with 9:02 to play in the first. Oklahoma City came out blistering hot, shooting 63.6 percent from the field and 83.3 percent from 3-point range in the opening quarter. A native of Memphis, Tenn., Cleveland scored nine of his 14 points in the first quarter to help the Blue to a 34-28 lead after 12 minutes of play. Memphis struggled to get anything going in the second quarter, finishing 6-of-25 from the floor and 0-of-9 from 3-point range as Oklahoma City stretched their lead to as many as 17 points. The Blue grabbed a 57-40 lead following a free-throw from Zavier Simpson with 4:01 to play in the second period before settling for a 61-46 halftime lead.
Oklahoma City took their largest lead of the night with 3:47 to play in the third quarter following a basket from Omer Yurtseven to make it an 86-62 game. After the bucket from Yurtseven, Memphis ripped off a 25-8 run to trim the lead down to seven points at 94-87 with 8:24 to play in the game. The Hustle put together their best offensive quarter in the fourth, but it would not be enough, as they were unable to get any closer than seven points the rest of the night. Oklahoma City finished the game shooting 48.2 percent from the floor and 60 percent from 3-point range while limiting Memphis to just 18.2 percent from three. The Hustle forced 26 turnovers leading to 30 points on the other end and outscored the Blue in points in the paint.
Ahmad Caver kept the Hustle in the game with a career-high 35 points (12-15 FG) to go with three rebounds, two assists and two steals in 36 minutes. Caver’s 35 points are tied for the most in a G League game this season. David Stockton added 14 points, six assists and four rebounds in 26 minutes. Bennie Boatwright tallied 12 points, seven rebounds and two assists on 5-of-15 shooting. Shaq Buchanan added 10 points, six rebounds and two assists as Memphis fell to 2-3 on the year.
Moses Brown posted a double-double with 18 points, 13 rebounds and two blocks on 6-of-10 shooting. Yurtseven also posted a double-double off of the bench with 15 points and 13 rebounds in 23 minutes. Ty Jerome added 16 points, four assists and two rebounds. Cleveland finished with 14 points, six rebounds and one steal to help Oklahoma City to a 4-1 start to the season.
The Hustle will return to action on Friday, Feb. 19 against the Greensboro Swarm at 2:30 p.m. Central time inside AdventHealth Arena. Fans can watch the game on GrindCityMedia.com or stream it on ESPN+.
For more information on the Memphis Hustle, visit memphishustle.com, follow the team on Twitter and Instagram (@MemphisHustle) or like Memphis Hustle on Facebook.
Memphis Hustle news release
