Skyforce Downed by Spurs in 122-105 Loss
February 23, 2017 - NBA G League (G League)
Sioux Falls Skyforce News Release
Sioux Falls, SD - Tired legs may have been a factor as the Sioux Falls Skyforce (23-15) fell to the Austin Spurs (16-19) 122-105 on the second night of a back-to-back set of games following the all-star break.
The Spurs led nearly wire-to-wire, jumping out to a 21-point lead in the first half behind hot shooting from San Antonio Spurs assignee Bryn Forbes (36 points, eight rebounds and three assists), who scored 21 of his 36 points in the first half.
The Skyforce were able to cut the deficit to just eight points, trailing 58-50 before the Spurs responded with a 7-0 run to close the half, leading 65-50 at the break.
The Skyforce shot just 41.1 percent from the field, making just five of their 25 three-point attempts in the loss. Though they were able to score efficiently in the paint, fatigue may have played a role on many of their shots from outside, as they continued to come up noticeably short throughout the night.
The Spurs lead hovered around 20 points for much of the second half before the Skyforce trimmed it down to just 12 points with five minutes remaining in the game, but Austin never allowed momentum to shift hands, increasing the lead in the final minutes.
Cory Jefferson tallied a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds, While Patricio Garino scored 18 points to accompany a breakout performance by Forbes in the starting lineup. Charles Garcia (15 points) and Jeff Ledbetter (13 points and six assists) contributed solid performances off the bench as six different Austin players scored in double figures on the night.
Patrick Miller led the Skyforce in scoring with 22 points in the contest, marking his 14th 20-plus-point outing in his last 17 games for the Skyforce. Keith Benson scored 12 points to go along with nine rebounds in just under 23 minutes of playing time. Despite the quiet night, Benson passed Jason Sasser for second place on the career rebounds list in Skyforce franchise history, and now has 931 rebounds while wearing a Skyforce uniform.
Denver Nuggets assignee Malik Beasley was held in check for most of the night, scoring 10 points to go along with four rebounds just one night removed from recording his first career double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds against Oklahoma City. Bubu Palo tallied 18 points (8-12 FT) and has now attempted at least 10 free throws in each of his last four contests.
Marcus Posley (13 points) and Ike Nwamu (10 points) came off the bench to round out the majority of the scoring for the Skyforce, who saw six players of their own score in double figures on the night.
The road trip continues for the Skyforce as they travel to Frisco, Texas to take on the Legends (16-18) on Saturday, February 25 at Dr. Pepper Arena at 7:30 PM CT.
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