Blue Drop Vipers in OT Thriller to Advance in Showcase Cup
December 22, 2021 - NBA G League (G League) - Oklahoma City Blue News Release
LAS VEGAS - In the first round of the G League Showcase Cup, the Oklahoma City Blue (9-4) defeated the Rio Grande Valley Vipers (9-4), 119-113, in overtime on Sunday evening at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. D.J. Wilson was dominant in the win, scoring a career-high 31 points on an efficient 14-20 shooting from the field and grabbing 15 rebounds to secure his fourth double-double of the season.
"I thought our guys really stuck together and fought hard throughout the whole game to pull out a good team win against a tough opponent," Head Coach Grant Gibbs said. "I'm proud of how we responded late in the game and continued to stay composed in overtime and make individual plays when we needed it."
Oklahoma City opened the game by making their first seven shot attempts and jumped out to a 17-4 lead in the first five minutes of play. The Blue connected on 67 percent from the field in the first quarter and led by as many as 20 points in the first half to gain a 56-42 advantage at the break.
Despite maintaining a steady offense in the second half, Rio Grande Valley was able to close the gap and send the game to overtime at 109-all. The Blue outscored the Vipers 10-4 in OT, featuring five points from Zavier Simpson to extend the lead before Wilson put the game away with a steal and dunk.
Thunder assignment player Vít Krejči posted a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double while also dishing out seven assists. Simpson dropped a season-high 18 points and a game-high 10 assists as six players scored in double-digits, including Michael Gbinije's 11 points off the bench.
Rio Grande Valley was led by Anthony Lamb's 24 points and nine rebounds while teammate Marcus Foster added 20 points off the bench for the Vipers.
The Blue advances to the semifinals in the 2021 NBA G League Winter Showcase on Tuesday, Dec. 21 at 2 p.m. ET on ESPNU and will play against the winner of the Maine Celtics/Motor City Cruise matchup.
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