Skyforce Fall 117-107 to Spurs in Home Finale
March 17, 2018 - NBA G League (G League)
Sioux Falls Skyforce News Release
SIOUX FALLS, SD - The Sioux Falls Skyforce (25-22) lost their final home game of the regular season 117-107 to the Austin Spurs (31-16) on Saturday night at the Sanford Pentagon. Austin swept the season series against Sioux Falls with the near wire-to-wire victory.
The Spurs finished the first quarter on an 11-2 run to take a 30-20 lead into the second period, and never looked back. After trailing by double-digits for much of the first half, the Skyforce managed to cut the deficit to just three points early in the third quarter. However, the Spurs answered with a 9-0 run to push the lead to 12, and went on to lead by as many as 19 points before finishing with a 10-point victory.
Tony Mitchell (21 points, five rebounds, three steals and two blocks) led all Skyforce scorers for the second game in a row off the bench, while Miami HEAT two-way player Derrick Walton Jr. added 20 points, seven assists and six rebounds in the loss.
The Spurs saw just four players score in double-figures on the night, but a trio of 20-pointer scorers did more than enough to fend off Sioux Falls down the stretch. Jaron Blossomgame (26 points and eight rebounds) and San Antonio Spurs assignee Derrick White (22 points and seven rebounds) led the way in the starting lineup, while Olivier Hanlan dropped 25 points off the bench on 5-of-7 shooting from long range.
Miami HEAT two-way player Derrick Jones Jr. tallied 19 points, eight rebounds, three steals and two blocks while Kadeem Jack (14 points and 10 rebounds) posted the games only double-double in just 26 minutes. Ike Nwamu (10 points) hit another pair of three-pointers in the game, raising his total to 130 on the season. Nwamu is just five three-point makes shy of the Sioux Falls franchise record of 135 in a single season.
Efficiency across the board helped Austin stay on top throughout the game. The Spurs shot 50.0 percent from the field, 41.7 percent from three-point range and 92.0 percent from the foul line. The Skyforce are now just 2-12 when allowing opponents to shoot 50.0 percent or higher from the field, and just 1-8 when allowing an opponent to shoot 40.0 percent or higher from beyond the arc.
The Skyforce now embark on a three-game road trip that will take them through the end of the 2017-18 regular season, heading to Iowa to take on the Wolves on Tuesday, March 20 before ending the year with back-to-back games in Prescott Valley, AZ against the Northern Arizona Suns on March 23 and 24.
The Spurs will stop at Memphis and Oklahoma City next week before finishing their regular season at home against the South Bay Lakers on Saturday, March 24.
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