A strong shooting night wasn’t enough for the Memphis Hustle, who dropped a 125-121 overtime decision to the South Bay Lakers on the road at the UCLA Health Training Center in El Segundo, California.
Hustle Leaders Charlie Brown Jr. delivered an all‑around performance with 22 points, seven assists and three steals. Nate Hinton matched him with 22 points, adding seven rebounds and three steals. Tyler Burton posted 19 points and eight rebounds, while Lucas Williamson provided 16 points off the bench. Javon Small rounded out the scoring effort with 10 points, five rebounds and five assists.
Lakers Take Control Late South Bay leaned on a standout night from Drew Timme, who finished with 26 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. Kobe Bufkin added 26 points and two blocks, and Bronny James contributed 20 points and seven assists. Tevian Jones scored 19 off the bench, and Kylor Kelley added 11 points, seven rebounds and four blocks.
Game Flow Memphis erased an early 12‑point deficit to tie the game 68‑68 at halftime. South Bay responded with a 25‑10 burst to open the third quarter, but the Hustle countered with a 12‑0 run to stay within striking distance.
With 15.8 seconds left in regulation, Kelley put the Lakers ahead by two before Lawson Lovering forced overtime with a putback to tie it at 118.
Bufkin opened overtime with a corner 3-pointer, and after Burton answered with a triple of his own, South Bay sealed the win with back‑to‑back defensive stops. Bufkin’s block led to a Bronny James jumper, and another Bufkin block turned into a coast‑to‑coast layup to hit the target score of 125.
By the Numbers
Memphis shot a season‑best 56.2% from three, knocking down 18 triples.
The Hustle forced 30 points off turnovers.
South Bay dominated the paint 80‑48 and shot 57.1% from the field.
What’s Next The Hustle wrap up their three‑game road trip with a rematch against South Bay on Tuesday, Jan. 6, at 9 p.m. Central.
Bob Bakken provides content for DeSoto County News and its social media channels. He is an award-winning broadcaster, along with being a reporter and photographer, and has done sports media relations work with junior and minor league hockey teams. Along with his reports on this website, you will find this veteran media member providing sports updates on Rebel 95.3 FM Radio.
