Hustle stopped by Nets in G League action
The Memphis Hustle, the Grizzlies’ NBA G League affiliate, fell to the Long Island Nets 111-100 on Thursday afternoon.
Both teams got off to a shaky start on the offensive end of the court, but the Hustle (5-9) were able to convert five Nets turnovers into nine points to grab a 23-19 lead after the first 12 minutes of play. Long Island (6-8) quickly erased the Memphis lead with a 13-2 run to begin the second quarter, giving the Nets a 32-25 lead with 8:11 to play before half. Long Island stretched their lead to as many as 12 points before the Hustle chipped away at the lead. Memphis was able to cut it to 50-47 at the halftime break after a 9-0 run to end the second quarter. Grizzlies’ two-way player Sean McDermott led all scorers with 13 points in the first half.
The Hustle put together their best offensive quarter of the night in the third. After trailing 55-47, Memphis ripped off a 15-4 run to take the lead at 62-59 following an acrobatic layup from Shaq Buchanan with 7:20 to play in the quarter. The Hustle would carry a six-point lead into the fourth quarter at 81-75 after shooting 48 percent from the field in the third. However, it would be all downhill from there as Long Island dominated the fourth quarter of play. The Hustle trailed by one at 95-94 with 5:47 to play before the Nets scored 16 of the final 22 points in the game. Long Island shot 66.7 percent from the field (14-of-21) while limiting Memphis to 39.1 percent, including 1-of-8 from 3-point range in the final quarter. The Hustle were also out-rebounded 15-4 in the final 12 minutes. The Hustle fell to (5-9) while the Nets moved to (6-8) on the season.
McDermott led the Hustle with 17 points, four rebounds and one assist on 6-of-16 shooting. Buchanan added 16 points, three rebounds and two steals in 28 minutes of action. Freddie Gillespie finished with 10 points, nine rebounds and two assists on 5-of-9 shooting. Tyrell Terry added 15 points, four assists and two steals in 27 minutes.
BJ Johnson totaled a game-high 22 points (6-15 FG), six rebounds, one assist and one steal in 32 minutes. Jordan Bowden posted a double-double with 20 points, 11 rebounds and one steal in 28 minutes off the bench for Long Island. Reggie Perry pitched in 16 points and nine rebounds while Nathan Sestina added 16 points and two rebounds.
The Hustle will conclude their single-site season in Orlando, Fla. on Saturday, Mar. 6, against the Delaware Blue Coats at 2 p.m. Central time. Fans can watch the game on www.GrindCityMedia.com
Memphis Hustle news release
