D-League Schedule Jan 15

[truebluefan]

Texas Legends at Bakersfield Jam (Santa Cruz, CA) 1:00 p.m.
Austin Spurs at Grand Rapids Drive (Santa Cruz, CA) 3:45 p.m.
Maine Red Claws at Sioux Falls Skyforce (Santa Cruz, CA) 6:30 p.m.
Santa Cruz Warriors at Canton Charge (Santa Cruz, CA) 10:00 p.m.

 

[truebluefan]

The Bakersfield Jam held off a fourth-quarter rally by Texas Legends to win the opening game of the Showcase Cup at the NBA D-League Showcase presented by Samsung, 109-102.

Both squads qualified for the Showcase Cup by virtue of their records as of Jan. 1, as the top eight teams compete to become the first-ever Showcase Cup champion.

Earl Barron finished with 30 points, 23 rebounds and three steals to lead the way for Bakersfield. The 23 rebounds are the most recorded in a game this season, surpassing 22-rebound performances by the Iowa Energy's Jarrid Famous and Hassan Whiteside, now with the Miami Heat. He entered the Showcase Cup averaging 20.3 points and 10.5 rebounds (eighth in the NBA D-League).

Barron registered six points and nine rebounds in the first quarter to give Bakersfield a 27-18 lead at the end of one frame. The Jam took a 58-37 lead into the locker room and had its largest lead of the afternoon at 77-51 with just under four minutes to play in the third quarter.

Texas rallied in the fourth quarter. Ricky Ledo hit a three-pointer halfway through the fourth quarter and followed that up with a lay-in to cut the deficit to eight. Ledo finished the day with 16 points and four assists, with 14 of those points coming in the fourth quarter.

With 1:15 remaining in the game, Ledo struck again with another three-pointer and Renaldo Balkman came up with a steal and layup to make the score 104-98 with just under one minute to play. The closest Texas came was 105-100 before Bakersfield sealed the win at the free throw line compliments of Barron and Archie Goodwin.

Goodwin, who joined Bakersfield on assignment from the Phoenix Suns yesterday, made an immediate impact. He notched 24 points on 7-for-18 shooting. Mac Koshwal added 16 rebounds and four assists for the Jam in the win.

Bakersfield marches on to the semifinals and will take on the winner of the Maine Red Claws vs. Sioux Falls Skyforce game on Saturday, Jan. 17 at 12:45 p.m. PT. Texas will play in the consolation bracket on Sunday, Jan. 18 at 10 a.m. PT.

Press release from the Bakersfield Jam

 

[truebluefan]

The Grand Rapids Drive (12-9) excelled in their first contest at the 2015 NBA D-League Showcase by defeating the Austin Spurs (15-7), the second seed in the tournament bracket, by a score of 102-87. The Drive are the seventh seed.

Read more http://www.mlive.com/drive/2015/01/drive_upset_spurs_in_first_sho.html

 

[truebluefan]

The Sioux Falls Stampede took down the No. 1 seeded Maine Red Claws 103-96 in the inaugural Showcase Cup at the 2015 NBA D-League Showcase presented by Samsung.

Maine was awarded the top seed in the Showcase Cup for holding the D-League's best record as of Jan. 1, and Sioux Falls rounded out the field of eight teams that are competing to become the Showcase Cup champions.

Stampede guard Andre Dawkins exploded for a game-high 33 points on 10-of-18 shooting in 44 minutes, his second-highest point total of the season. Dawkins ranks No. 6 in the NBA D-League in scoring for players with at least nine games played, averaging 23.3 points. Forward Scotty Hopson added 24 points and six rebounds in the win, which is Sioux Falls' fourth in their last five games.

Omari Johnson came off the bench to lead Maine with 26 points in 27 minutes of action, which included a 6-of-10 effort from beyond the arc. Chris Babb recorded his fourth double-double of the season, notching 14 points and 13 rebounds, while Tim Frazier's 11-rebound, 10-assist, seven-point outing came in the losing effort.

With eight lead changes and six ties throughout the game, neither team held a double-digit lead. Maine built a 53-49 halftime lead, but was outscored 28-16 in the third quarter by the No. 8 seed.

Early in the fourth, the Red Claws tied the game at 82, before Sioux Falls went on a 21-12 run to close out the third game of the day at the Kaiser Permanente Arena.

Sioux Falls went to the free throw line 42 times, converting on 32 of their attempts, while the Red Claws went 12-of-22 from the line.

After the win, Sioux Falls will play No. 5 seeded Bakersfield in the semifinals on Saturday, Jan. 17 at 12:45 p.m. PT. Maine's next contest is against Texas on Sunday, Jan. 18 at 10:00 a.m. PT.

Press release from the Sioux Falls Stampede