Originally posted January 10, 2018
Behind 26 points from Jason Blossomgame and an impressive 20 points and 12 assists from Darrun Hillard, the Austin Spurs won their first of two games at the 2018 NBA G League Showcase.
First Quarter
Blossomgame had a strong start to the game scoring the Spurs first 6 points on a three pointer and an old fashioned three point play following a steal. Hilliard picked up two early fouls but still had 6 points on 3-4 shooting. The Spurs were without Two-Way Player Matt Costello, who is currently with the big league club, and it showed early with the Bulls scoring a number of easy baskets at the rim. The Spurs defence settled down a little as the quarter moved along, especially after Amida Brimah (who finished with 5 blocks) checked into the game. After the first quarter in the books, the Spurs lead 29-28.
Second Quarter
The second quarter started with the Spurs dropping some bombs from behind the arch, with fan favourite Jeff Ledbetter starting the game 3 for 3. “Jeff brings an edge to our team, a personality on the floor and shooting the basketball is just one part of it that he does at a very high level” coach Blake Ahearn said after the game. Speaking of Ledbetter, it was fun to see him match up against former Austin Spur, and Two-Way Player, Ryan Arcidiacono for a couple of plays. The Spurs kept rolling for most of the quarter and outscored the Bulls 36-22 to finish the first half with a 65-50 lead.
Third Quarter
The third quarter started out of slow for the Spurs, with Blossomgame missing three shots in a row at one point (he finished 7-10 for the game). Things did not get much better as the quarter moved along and the Bulls outscoring the Spurs 34-22 to tie the game up at 84 before the #WinterofJeff hit a three at the buzzer (off a nice pass from Hilliard) to give the Spurs a 3 point lead (87-84) heading into the fourth.
Fourth Quarter
The Spurs turned things around in the fourth quarter as the offence began to click again behind some strong play making from Hilliard, aggressiveness from Blossomgame and general good-to-great Spurs basketball. Coach Aheran agreed, “I thought we did a phenomenal job of moving the ball, sharing the ball, hitting the guy when they were open”. One interesting wrinkle in the middle of the quarter was a Olivier Hanlan (14 points, 4 assists) Ledbetter and Nick Johnson (14 points, 5 assists, 4/7 3pt shooting) three guard lineup. When the dust had settled, the Spurs outscored the Bulls 32-24 in the quarter to finish with a convincing 119-108 win.
Next Game
The Spurs second G League Showcase game is on Friday against the Wisconsin Heard and tips-off at 1pm EST. You can watch the game on Eleven Sports and follow @Spursinthe6 on Twitter for LIVE in game coverage.