Strong Fourth Quarter Leads to D-Fenders Win

Published on January 7, 2015 under NBA G League (G League)
Los Angeles D-Fenders News Release


HIDALGO, TX - The Los Angeles D-Fenders defeated the Rio Grande Valley Vipers 133-122 tonight in Hidalgo, TX.

Los Angeles (6-14) was led by Vander Blue, who scored a season-high 38 points, connecting on 14-of-25 field-goal attempts, while also grabbing eight rebounds and handing out four assists. Blue was followed closely by Jabari Brown, who tallied 35 points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals. Roscoe Smith also reached the 30-point plateau, with 31 points and nine rebounds. Josiah Turner tallied 16 points, eight assists and six rebounds off the bench for L.A., while Ater Majok blocked an impressive eight shots, along with scoring six points and grabbing eight rebounds.

Nick Johnson scored a team-high 24 points for Rio Grande Valley (7-12), also handing out 11 assists and grabbing seven rebounds for the Vipers. Chris Johnson (21 points, eight rebounds), Akil Mitchell (15 points, 16 rebounds), Clint Capela (13 points, nine rebounds), Tony Bishop (13 points), Jaron Johnson (12 points, six rebounds) and Akeem Richmond (10 points) all reached double figures for Rio Grande Valley.

It was a back-and-forth start in this one, with Brown taking over early, finishing the first quarter with 14 points to lead all scorers. Brown's put-back as time expired gave L.A. a 37-36 heading into the second quarter. The D-Fenders outscored the Vipers 28-25 in the second quarter, as Smith led the charge for L.A., with 12 points. Turner was also strong in the quarter, tallying eight points and finishing the half with 12. The Vipers were led by Jaron Johnson and Nick Johnson, who both scored 12 points in the first half. L.A. took a 65-61 lead into the third quarter, behind 20 points from Smith, 18 from Brown and 13 from Blue.

It was a slow third quarter for the D-Fenders, who scored 32 points and gave up 38. Los Angeles finished the quarter strong, with five quick points as time expired, leaving Rio Grande Valley up 99-97 after three. Blue tallied 11 points in the quarter, while Chris Johnson also tallied 11 for the Vipers. The Vander Blue show continued in the fourth quarter, with Blue scoring 14 points, followed by Brown with nine. Los Angeles shot .650 in the fourth quarter, connecting on 13-of-20 field-goal attempts and holding Rio Grande Valley to .308 from the field. The D-Fenders outscored the Vipers 36-22 on the quarter, leading to a 133-121 victory.

Los Angeles shot .545 from the field, connecting on 48-of-88 attempts, while Rio Grande Valley shot .417 on 43-of-103 attempts. The D-Fenders were an efficient 4-of-7 from three-point range, compared to 11-of-48 for the Vipers. Los Angeles shot .622 from the field in the second half, while Rio Grande Valley shot .382.

The D-Fenders continue their road trip in Texas, facing the Texas Legends on Friday, January 9th at 5:00pm PT.

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NBA G League Stories from January 7, 2015


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