Vipers Complete Season Sweep of Red Claws
February 27, 2011 - NBA G League (G League)
Rio Grande Valley Vipers News Release
PORTLAND, MAINE - The defending NBA Development League champion Rio Grande Valley Vipers completed the four-game season sweep of the Maine Red Claws with a 106-91 victory Sunday at the Portland Expo Center
The Vipers (27-11) are now winners of four in a row. They take over first place in the Western Conference standings by half of one game over the Tulsa 66ers and lower their magic number to clinch a playoff berth to three. Any combination of Vipers wins and Texas Legends (17-21) losses that adds up to three over the course of the rest of the season will result in the Vipers clinching their second-consecutive playoff berth. The Vipers' earliest opportunity to clinch will be Friday when they visit the Bakersfield Jam at 9:00 p.m. If the Vipers win that game and the Legends lose at Austin on Wednesday and Thursday, the Vipers will clinch a playoff berth.
The Red Claws (14-23) jumped out to a 6-2 lead, but the Vipers responded with an 8-0 run, starting with a slam dunk by Patrick Sullivan and ending with a jumper by Terrel Harris to take a 10-6 lead with 7:32 remaining in the first quarter.
Sullivan scored 21 points with a career-high 14 rebounds for his third double-double
The Vipers led 44-38 after Richard Roby hit a pair of free throws with 4:42 remaining in the second quarter, but the Red Claws went on a 10-0 run, capped by a lay-up by Mario West to take a 48-44 lead with 1:51 remaining. Roby broke the run 20 seconds later with a lay-up.
The Vipers took the lead back early in the third quarter, but the Red Claws pulled within 73-69 on a Tiny Gallon layup with 1:35 remaining but the Vipers scored the final 11 points of the quarter, including a buzzer-beating three-pointer by Matt Janning, and the first point of the fourth to take an 84-69 lead.
The Vipers were led in scoring by Jerel McNeal, who scored a game-high 26 points with four rebounds and five assists. Roby scored 20 points with four rebounds, two steals and two blocks.
The Red Claws were led in scoring DeShawn Sims, who scored 24 points.
The Rio Grande Valley Vipers are the NBA Development League affiliate of the NBA Houston Rockets. The NBA Development League, founded in 2001, is the NBA's official minor league and features 16 teams with direct affiliations to NBA teams. 63 former NBA Development League players were on 2009-10 NBA start-of-season rosters, amounting to almost 15 percent of NBA players, and the league continues to develop coaches, referees, and front office staff for the NBA and its teams. In fostering the league's connection to the community, its teams, players and staff promote health and wellness, support local needs and interests, and assist in educational development through NBA Development League Cares programs. The NBA Development League also advances the game of basketball as the research and development arm of the NBA. Throughout the season fans can watch all NBA Development League games on NBA Futurecast, the free live Web-streaming initiative found at nba.com/futurecast.
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