Vipers Fall to OKC Blue 120-112
Published on March 8, 2016 under NBA G League (G League)
Rio Grande Valley Vipers News Release
The Rio Grande Valley Vipers (21-19) fell 120-112 to the Oklahoma City Blue (15-25) tonight at State Farm Arena.
Jaron Johnson led the Vipers with 27 points. Will Cummings scored 17 points, followed by Jordan Hamilton with 16 points. Jarvis Threatt added 13 points and Denzel Livingston tallied 12 points. Chris Walker scored 11 points. Raphiael Putney recorded 10 points and 3 blocks. Putney now has 102 blocks this season and ranks third in Vipers single-season blocks behind Clint Capela (113) and Kurt Looby (127).
Dwight Buycks led the Blue with 23 points. Three OKC players recorded double-doubles. Talib Zanna scored 19 points and 13 rebounds. Tomislav Zubcic added 13 points and 10 rebounds. Kameron Woods tallied 11 points and 10 rebounds. Marquis Teague and JP Tokoto added 14 points apiece, and Boubacar Moungoro scored 11 points.
The Blue started the first quarter with a 10-2 run to take early control of the first half. At the end of the first period, Oklahoma City held a 35-22 advantage. Teague made a layup to give the Blue a 54-35 lead with 6:34 remaining in the first half. Threatt responded with a layup to start a 20-9 run that helped the Vipers close their deficit to 63-56 with 1:37 on the clock. The Vipers outscored the Blue 36-30 in the second quarter. At halftime, Oklahoma City led 65-58.
RGV started the second half on a 9-2 run to tie the game at 67 points with 9:38 on the clock. Cummings made a shot at the free throw line to give the Vipers their first lead of the game, 68-67. The lead changed 10 times throughout the third quarter as each team fought for control. Zanna made two free throws to tie the game at 79 points midway through the quarter. The free throws also sent the Blue on a 15-0 run to take a 92-79 advantage. At the end of the third period, OKC led 92-83.
RGV outscored the Blue 29-28 in the fourth quarter, but was not able to come out on top. Cummings scored 14 of his 17 total points in the fourth quarter.
The Vipers travel to Frisco, Texas this weekend for a pair of back-to-back games versus the Texas Legends. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. (CST) both Friday, March 11 and Saturday, March 12. Â RGV returns home Tuesday, March 15 to host the Reno Bighorns in a 7 p.m. (CST) game at State Farm Arena. For more information about the Vipers or purchase tickets, call the Vipers at 956-972-1144 or visit RGVipers.com.
NBA G League Stories from March 8, 2016
- Balanced Effort Leads to Blue Road Win - Oklahoma City Blue
- Vipers Fall to OKC Blue 120-112 - Rio Grande Valley Vipers
- Stampede Re-Acquire Jared Cunningham - Idaho Stampede
- Legends Acquire Josh Childress - Texas Legends
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