INDONESIAN BASKETBALL LEAGUE : The IBL's opening game resulted in a victory for the Satria Muda Pertamina who routed the Makassar Raiders 92-76. This was the debut of Carlos Boozer , the world import for the Makassar Raiders who played in the NBA for 13 years and former multiple all-star. He had a mediocre debut as he was fouled out midway through the fourth quarter, finishing with 18 points, 8 rebounds and 1 assist. His fellow import in Almond Brewer finished as the game's top scorer at 24 points, while also adding 5 rebounds and 2 assist. He also knocked down 6 3-pointers, including 4 in the third quarter. As for Jakarta, Dior Lowhorn barely finished with a double-double ; 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists to go along.
Lowhorn was a monster on the glass tonight, not only fighting rebounds with ex-NBA player Carlos Boozer but also contesting almost every shot in the paint at defense. Though he didn't have any blocks, his teammates praised him on his performance, especially on the defensive end. "He's a great asset for us" said Arki Wisnu, Satria Muda's captain. "His presence in the paint and ability to get boards and dish for the fastbreak opens up the game for us, his outlet passes were on point tonight and as a captain, I'm very happy that he's going to play here for years in the future." He continued. Michael Bryant, cousin of Los Angeles Lakers player Thomas Bryant also grabbed a double-double with 14 points, 13 rebounds and a block. "Our bigs really contributed inside, either facilitating, grabbing boards, or protecting the rim defensively. Even our bench was active on both ends of the floor. This is a really great win for our first win and we hope to build on the momentum for the next game" said Arki, who had 17 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists himself, leading all local players in points and minutes played.
Satria Muda led from tip-off, moving the ball fluently and finding easy baskets inside. Sitepu often called "Dodo", found easy early baskets inside to push Jakarta to an 8-2 lead with 8:12 left in the first quarter. Meanwhile in the other corner, 12 of the first 14 points that Makassar scored were from Brewer and Boozer. They continued that until the very end of the first half. Soon after, Satria Muda adjusted defensively to clog Boozer and Brewer in the paint. That way, Boozer was limited inside the paint while Brewer nailed 4 treys in the third quarter which happened in span of 38 seconds. This 3 point fury was short lived, as Gunawan Setiadjo nailed back to back 3-pointers to end the third quarter to give Satria Muda Jakarta a 78-64 lead. The fourth quarter was filled with a failed comeback attempt by the Raiders, who in Coach Roko Widjaja's eyes, Coach of the Makassar Raiders, were not "focused". "The energy was weak tonight. We scored the first 2 points in the game so we had a lead then we never regained it." Roko said. " All we can do is make this game a lesson and move forward. Satria Muda is one of the best teams in the league so we have to take notes when playing againts them. "
Makassar's next game is on Monday, againts the young, energetic Cendrawasih Papua in Jayapura. While Satria Muda will play in last year's final rematch againts Pelita Jaya Energi Mega Persada at Hall A Basket Senayan. This game will be a must watch for IBL lovers or basketball fans in general as it features the two top teams in the league.
