Thunderbirds Make It Seven Straight With A Victory Over L.A.
March 5, 2007 - NBA G League (G League)
New Mexico Thunderbirds News Release
Albuquerque, N.M., March 3, 2007, -- The Albuquerque Thunderbirds extended their win streak to seven games by holding off the Los Angeles D-Fenders late in the fourth quarter, 108-100. Joe Shipp provided a major spark off the bench, scoring a game high 26 points while dishing out five assists. Brian Chase led LA with 23 points.
The Thunderbirds came out of the gate running, starting the first quarter with a 14-3 lead, mostly on impressive dunks and lay-ups by Brandon Robinson who had eight in the quarter. D-Fenders forward Sean Banks kept his team in the game, scoring eight of his 21 in the quarter.
The T-Birds struck hard in the second quarter, pushing a nine point lead to 28 with seven minutes left in the first half, thanks to 11 points off the bench for Shipp. It was the biggest lead of the game, and Los Angeles would spend the rest of their energy playing catch-up in the second half.
At half time, a record crowd of 4,150 fans celebrated T-Bird mascot Trey's birthday. Joining in the celebration were Stanley, the New Mexico Scorpions mascot, and Orbit of the Albuquerque Isotopes.
Chase, who had only two points in the first half, was not to be stopped in the final two periods, scoring seven in the third and 14 in the fourth. He hit back to back 3-pointers to cut the lead to eight with 22.2 seconds remaining in the game. It was the first time since halfway through the first quarter that the Thunderbird lead was below double-digits.
Chris Shumate also pitched in quality minutes in the second half, hitting 5-for-5 from the field, including three shots from behind the arc, scoring a total of 14 points.
Albuquerque's next home game is against Sioux Falls on Thursday, March 8th at 8pm. Tecate and Dos Equis, the official beers of the Thunderbirds, are sponsoring PAJAMA JAM and any fan who wears pajamas to the game will get in free of charge. Los Angeles will visit Tulsa on Wednesday, March 7th.
The NBA Development League includes the Albuquerque Thunderbirds (N.M.), Anaheim Arsenal (Calif.), Arkansas RimRockers (Little Rock), Austin Toros (Texas), Bakersfield Jam (Calif.), Colorado 14ers (Broomfield), Dakota Wizards (Bismarck, N.D.), Fort Worth Flyers (Texas), Idaho Stampede (Boise), Los Angeles D-Fenders, Sioux Falls Skyforce (S.D.) and Tulsa 66ers (Okla.). Expansion teams in Orem, Utah, the Rio Grande Valley in Texas and Des Moines, Iowa have also been announced for the 2007-08 season.
The D-League continues to develop talent from across all disciplines for the NBA's 30 teams and the entire NBA umbrella. Designed to help grow the sport of basketball both domestically and internationally, the D-League also offers fun, family entertainment at affordable prices.
For information on premium seating and general information about the Albuquerque Thunderbirds call (505) 265-DUNK or log on to www.abqtbirds.com.
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