Wednesday sports page: Hustle beat Blue to end road trip
The Memphis Hustle (5-6) defeated the Oklahoma City Blue (5-8) 108-102 at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma to conclude a five-game road trip.
Yuki Kawamura led Memphis with 23 points and seven assists. Kawamura scored 21 points in the third quarter, setting a new franchise record for three-pointers in a quarter by making all seven three-point attempts. DJ Steward contributed 20 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. Zyon Pullin totaled 17 points. Malachi Smith added 12 points and seven rebounds off the bench. Armando Bacot tallied 11 points and nine rebounds.
Thunder assignee Dillon Jones paced the Blue with 23 points and seven rebounds. Logan Johnson added 18 points off the bench. Justyn Hamilton tallied 16 points and 12 rebounds. Miller Kopp registered 15 points. Malevy Leons totaled 10 points and 10 rebounds.
The Hustle tip-off a seven-game home stand on Friday, Jan. 31, at 7 p.m. against Raptors 905 at the Landers Center.
FOUR HUSTLE PLAYERS SELECTED TO PARTICIPATE IN NBA G LEAGUE UP NEXT GAME AT NBA ALL-STAR 2025
The Hustle also announced that forward Armando Bacot, guard Yuki Kawamura, forward Mãozinha Pereira and guard DJ Steward have been selected to participate in the NBA G League Up Next Game at NBA All-Star 2025.
The NBA G League Up Next Game will take place on Sunday, Feb. 16, at 2:30 p.m. Central at NBA Crossover in the Moscone Center. The game will feature four teams of seven players competing in two semifinal games and will be played with rules similar to Rising Stars. Two teams will square off in semifinal matchups to 30 points, and the winning teams will face off in a championship game to determine the overall winner.
Bacot (6-11, 240) has appeared in 26 games (25 starts) with the Memphis Hustle averaging 14.2 points and 9.3 rebounds in 31.7 minutes. The 24-year-old has notched 12 double-doubles with the Hustle and ranked fifth among qualified players in rebounds during the Tip-Off Tournament hauling in 9.4 rebounds per game.
Kawamura (5-8, 159) has started all 12 appearances with the Memphis Hustle and averaged 15.2 points, 9.2 assists and 1.4 steals in 33.9 minutes. The 23-year-old has dished out double-digit assists in seven games, including a career-high 16 assists on Nov. 20 against the Osceola Magic.
Pereira (6-8, 215) has appeared in 13 games (seven starts) with the Memphis Hustle and has averaged 7.8 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 25.7 minutes.
Steward (6-2, 162) has appeared in 22 games (19 starts) with the Windy City Bulls and Memphis Hustle averaging 19.4 points and 6.3 assists in 32.9 minutes while shooting 38.6 percent from beyond the arc. The 23-year-old has appeared in six games (four starts) with the Hustle since being acquired via trade and is averaging 18.2 points in 27.5 minutes.
