Birmingham Drops 205 Night Contest to Motor City
Published on January 17, 2026 under NBA G League (G League)
Birmingham Squadron News Release
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Birmingham Squadron, NBA G League affiliate of the New Orleans Pelicans, fell to the Motor City Cruise, 127-103, on the team's annual 205 Night.
Motor City (5-7) got off to a quick start, gaining a 12-point advantage midway through the first quarter. Buckets from Birmingham's (4-10) Keion Brooks Jr. and Hunter Dickinson seemed to halt the Cruise's momentum, but the visitors continued to build their lead and led 37-20 at the end of one.
The Cruise led by as many as 23 with 7:26 remaining in the second quarter, but the Squadron continued to battle. The hosts trailed by 19 late in the period, but an 8-2 run in the final two minutes of the half brought the Squadron within a more manageable 13 at the break.
Birmingham carried their momentum from the end of the first half into the second and trimmed the deficit to eight three minutes into the third quarter. However, Motor City slowly stretched their lead and led 90-73 with 2:27 remaining in the period.
Facing a 13-point gap heading into the fourth, the Squadron hoped for a quick start to spark a late push. Instead, the Cruise went on a 15-4 run in the opening five minutes of the fourth, taking their largest lead of the night at 24. Motor City went on to grab a 29-point lead with 2:22 remaining and finished the night with a 127-103 victory.
Trey Alexander returned to Birmingham for the first time since Dec. 28 and finished with 20 points and nine rebounds. Keion Brooks Jr. also contributed with 20 points in addition to grabbing three rebounds.
The Squadron will take on the Greensboro Swarm in on Monday, Jan. 19, at 1 p.m. The MLK Celebration game will be available on My68 and NBAGLeague.com.
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