Grand Rapids Drive Past Austin in Opening Round of Showcase Cup
January 15, 2015 - NBA G League (G League) News Release
SANTA CRUZ, CA. Jan. 15, 2015 - The Grand Rapids Drive had eight players score in double figures as they went on to defeat the Austin Spurs by a score of 102-87 in the opening round of the Showcase Cup at the NBA D-League Showcase presented by Samsung.
Both squads qualified for the Showcase Cup by virtue of their records as of Jan. 1, as the top eight teams compete to become the first-ever Showcase Cup champion.
Lorenzo Brown scored a team-high 16 points on 8-for-13 shooting, to go along with seven assists and five rebounds. Willie Reed registered his 13th double-double of the season with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Reed also recorded a season-high seven rebounds in the win.
JaMychal Green helped the Spurs get off to a fast start and scored 14 points in the first quarter. Green entered the showcase seventh in the league in scoring with 23 ppg, and finished with 22 points on 10-for-21 shooting, to go along with a game-high 15 rebounds, three assists and one block.
In the second quarter the Drive would take off, outscoring the Spurs 28-12 in the frame to take a 54-37 lead into the half. Grand Rapids added to that lead in the third quarter and opened up a 72-46 lead midway through the quarter on a three-pointer by Gigi Datome. The 26-point lead was their biggest of the afternoon. Datome came off the bench to score 15 points on 5-for-11 shooting and connected on three-of-five attempts from three-point range.
Austin struggled shooting the ball most of the afternoon. They shot .398 (39-for-98) from the floor, made only four-of-nine attempts from the free-throw line and connected on only 5-of-30 three-point attempts.
Grand Rapids will move on to face the winner of the Santa Cruz vs. Canton in the Showcase Cup Semifinals on Saturday, Jan. 17 at 7 p.m. PT. Austin will play in the consolation bracket on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. PT.
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