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14ers Remain Atop Power Rankings

March 12, 2009 - NBA G League (G League)
Colorado 14ers News Release


The NBA D-League schedule marches on towards the playoffs, which will get started shortly after the regular season ends on April 11. In this year's playoffs, the three division winners plus the next five best teams will qualify, so as of last night's results the seedings would be from 1 to 8: Colorado (Southwest Division), Idaho (West Division), Iowa (Central Division), Austin, Utah, Dakota, Erie, and Bakersfield. Of course with the new playoff format the division winners can choose their opponents, so we won't know the actual matchups yet.

The Colorado 14ers retain the top spot in the Power Rankings and have overtaken Austin for the league's best record and the lead in the Southwest Division. The Toros have fallen into second place after losing four straight games. The third-place Thunderbirds have also lost three straight and would currently be on the outside looking in if the playoffs started today.

In the Central Division, the Iowa Energy continue to lead the division while Erie and Dakota are not tied for second place. Erie is moving up the standings after winning eleven of their last twelve games. The Idaho Stampede continue to hold a slim lead in the West Division over the Utah Flash, who are not two games out. The Bakersfield Jam are right on their heels and also in contention for a playoff spot.

Colorado (1) 24-10 The 14ers have now won four straight games and are the only team in the NBA D-League with a winning percentage over .700. They scored a franchise record 147 points against the Vipers on Tuesday and will host Rio Grande Valley again tonight. They visit Albuquerque on Saturday and will look to improve to 13-0 over the T-Birds over the last two seasons.

2 Idaho (4) 24-14 Just when it looked like the Stampede were in danger of losing their lead in the West Division, they ripped off a three-game winning streak, including two wins over the Flash. Idaho will look to increase the streak to five games this weekend when they host two sub-.500 teams at Qwest Arena. Luke Jackson's Oregon Ducks might be having a rough season, but he is having his own version of March Madness with 26.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 7.5 assists in the first two games of the month.

3 Iowa (3) 22-15 Finishing a stretch of five straight road games, the Energy fell to 2-3 with a loss in Tulsa on Thursday. Center Courtney Sims has posted a double-double in 20 of his 28 games for the Energy, host the red-hot BayHawks on Sunday.

4 Erie (6) 22-17 The surging BayHawks won their third straight victory over Sioux Falls on Sunday and have now won four straight games and 11 of their last 12. They also made a big acquisition when former first-round pick Quincy Douby joined the team. Douby should make his debut on Friday when the BayHawks host Dakota. A tough schedule looms with the next six games all against teams with winning records.

5 Austin (2) 25-13 The Toros have gone from dominant to mortal in the past two weeks with a season-worst four-game losing streak. Even more disturbing is that the last two losses have come against teams with a combined record of 32-46. Austin plays the next six games on the road as they try to snap out of the funk. Help arrived this week in the form of former Warriors guard DeMarcus Nelson, who gives the Toros a total of four former NBA players on the current roster.

6 Dakota (9) 21-16 The Wizards got back into the division hunt with a big win against Iowa at home on Sunday. They face another crucial test on Friday when they visit Erie, who they are currently tied with for second in the Central. This will be the final matchup of the season between the Wizards and the BayHawks with the WIzards leading the season series 4-2.

7 Utah (5) 20-14 The Flash suffered a road bump on their way to first place with two losses against Idaho in their last three games, but added some big offensive firepower when the Jazz assigned Morris Almond to the team on Saturday. Almond, the leading scorer in the D-League last season, scored 22 in his debut on Monday night. He will help to offset the loss of Dontell Jefferson, a GATORADE Call-Up to the Bobcats on Wednesday. The Flash are at home for their next seven games starting with visits from Bakersfield and Sioux Falls this weekend.

8 Bakersfield (10) 21-18 The Jam have lost four of their last five but are still in the hunt for the West Division title and a playoff spot. They will play a crucial game on Friday when they visit the Utah Flash, who are one and half games ahead of them in the division race. Bakersfield is 2-2 against Utah with two meeting remaining this season.

9 Sioux Falls (7) 21-18 The Skyforce have lost two straight and need to pick up some wins if they are going to make the playoffs for the third straight season. They have also struggled in the division, winning only three of their last ten meetings against Central Division foes. Next on the slate the Skyforce head out west on a five-game road trip that begins in Reno on Friday. After struggling with some injuries, Kasib Powell has rounded back into form with 20.8 points in his last four games.

10 Albuquerque (8) 19-18 The Thunderbirds have lost four straight and six of their last nine games after being one of the D-League's best teams in January and February. They are currently in the middle of a nine-game homestand that continues with a visit from league leading Colorado. The team welcomes a big newcomer in the form of 7-0 center Mouhamed Sene, who was last season's D-League Co-Defensive Player of the Year.

11 Reno (12) 16-21 The Bighorns are enjoying an excellent March so far, winning four out of five including wins over Austin and Bakersfield. Patrick Ewing Jr. has been on fire lately, posting double-doubles four times this month. He is averaging 21.2 points and 12.5 rebounds over his last five games.

12 Fort Wayne (15) 16-25 The Mad Ants have won two straight over winning teams on the road, improving their road record to 8-15. Guard Walker Russell has posted two triple-doubles in a row and is averaging 16.3 points, 11.0 assists, and 4.3 rebounds in March. His last two games were his first double-digit rebound games of the season. Fort Wayne hosts division rival Dakota this Sunday and will attempt to improve their 1-4 record against the WIzards.

13 Anaheim (13) 15-24 The Arsenal are still adjusting to life without James White, going 2-2 since his departure to the Houston Rockets. They still have a slim shot at playoff contention but will need to put a big winning streak together over the final weeks of the season. Next up on the slate is a home game against division rival Reno.

14 Rio Grande Valley (15) 15-23 The Vipers saw a three-game winning streak end when they gave up 149 points to Colorado on Tuesday night. They now face a tough three-game road stretch with another game against Colorado and visits to Idaho and Albuquerque. Center Kurt Looby has pulled down double-digit rebounds in seven of his last 10 games after pulling the feat only three times in his first 28 games of the seaosn.

15 Los Angeles (14) 13-25 The D-Fenders split a weekend series with Anaheim and are a game and a half behind the Arsenal at the bottom of the West Division. Now with Los Angeles Laker Sun Yue on the roster, the D-Fenders face a tough trip this weekend with trips to Idaho and Colorado, who are a combined 29-6 at home this season..

16 Tulsa (16) 8-29 The 66ers beat Iowa in overtime on Thursday for their eighth win of the season, snapping a nine-game losing streak. It also means that the 66ers have now defeated all three current division leaders this season. They will try to get their first win in six tries against Austin this season when they host the Toros on Friday.



NBA G League Stories from March 12, 2009


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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