Stars Snap Win Streak in Rio Grande Valley
March 31, 2024 - NBA G League (G League)
Salt Lake City Stars News Release
EDINBURG, Texas - The Salt Lake City Stars (20-14), the official NBA G League Affiliate of the Utah Jazz, saw their eleven-game win streak come to an end Saturday night at Bert Ogden Arena, after falling to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers (20-14)(Houston Rockets Affiliate), 97-77, in the regular season finale.
Guard Taevion Kinsey led the Stars with 18 points, grabbing four rebounds in his 36 minutes of action. Utah Jazz assignment player Kenneth Lofton Jr. filled the stat line, tallying 17 points, eight rebounds, four assists, three blocks, and two steals. Eli Cain notched double-figures with 11 points and four rebounds, in his 28 minutes of play. Meanwhile, Utah Jazz assignment forward Darius Bazley led with a team-high 10 rebounds, to go with eight points, six assists, and a pair of blocks.
The game was low scoring from the start, as the Stars and Vipers ended the first quarter tied at 20. In the second quarter, both teams' offense came to life, each team shooting .500 from the floor. Salt Lake City took an eight point lead in the period, their largest of the game, however, entered the locker room tied with Rio Grande Valley, 45-45.
The back-and-forth battle began out of the break, as the third quarter saw seven lead changes. Taevion Kinsey scored eight points in the frame, leading the way for Salt Lake City to take a 69-68 advantage into the final quarter. In the fourth, Rio Grande Valley opened up play on an 18-2 run, eventually outscoring Salt Lake City, 29-8, over the final 12 minutes of play. Salt Lake City fell 97-77, as their win streak came to a close.
Houston Rockets two-way player Jermaine Samuels Jr. led all scorers with 25 points, while grabbing 14 rebounds to complete a double-double, in 37 minutes of game action. Vipers forward Ray Spalding added his own double-double performance, collecting 22 points and 10 rebounds, along with two steals and two blocks.
The loss locks the Stars in as the five seed in the G League Playoffs, lining them up to face the Santa Cruz Warriors (Golden State Warriors affiliate) on Tuesday, April 12 at Kaiser Permanente Arena. The opening round of Salt Lake City's playoff play will tip off at 8 p.m. MT and will be broadcast live on ESPNU.
-- @slcstars or slcstars.com-
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