D-Fenders Top Bighorns in Nail-Biter

Published on December 7, 2014 under NBA G League (G League)
Los Angeles D-Fenders News Release


EL SEGUNDO - The Los Angeles D-Fenders defeated the Reno Bighorns 141-140 tonight at the Toyota Sports Center.

Roscoe Smith scored a season-high 38 points on 17-of-19 shooting, while also grabbing nine rebounds for Los Angeles (2-8). Manny Harris recorded a triple-double with 23 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds. Jabari Brown (24 points, six rebounds) and Vander Blue (22 points, seven rebounds and seven assists) also eclipsed the 20-point mark for the D-Fenders. Keith Appling scored 14 points off the bench for the D-Fenders, including a clutch free-throw with five seconds left to give L.A. the one-point win.

Brady Heslip led all scorers with 38 points for the Bighorns (3-4). Tajuan Porter tallied 29 points and five assists off the bench for Reno, while David Stockton (15 points), Durrell Summers (14 points), Ra'Shad James (13 points) and Andrew Warren (10 points, six rebounds) all reached double figures for the Bighorns.

The first quarter was a sign of things to come, with L.A. leading 41-37 after its completion. Smith scored 10 points on the quarter, while Harris finished with seven points, seven assists and five rebounds. Heslip had 11 on the quarter for the Bighorns. The D-Fenders continued to fill it up in the second quarter, shooting .625. The first half ended with L.A. holding a six-point advantage, 77-71. Smith had 20 points and five rebounds on the half, while Brown (15 points), Harris (15 points) and Blue (13 points) all finished the half in double figures. Heslip was the lone Bighorn scoring in double-digits with 26 points.

Los Angeles was outscored 43-38 in the third quarter, but continued to be efficient, shooting .800 on the quarter. Smith had 12 points in the quarter for the D-Fenders, while Porter tallied 15 points in the third for Reno, who trailed 115-114 heading into the final frame. The fourth quarter was a stalemate, with both teams finishing with 26 points. Los Angeles would shoot .476 on the quarter, while Reno finished at .257. Keith Appling hit one-of-two free throws with 5.4 seconds left to give the D-Fenders a 141-140 victory.

Los Angeles shot .596 from the field, compared to .400 for Reno. The D-Fenders tallied 104 points in the paint, while the Bighorns finished with 60. Los Angeles handed out 39 assists and blocked 12 shots in route to a one-point win.

The D-Fenders are on the road in Bakersfield to face the Jam on Monday, December 8th at 7:00 p.m. PT.

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