Before we dive right into things I just want to taje a brief moment to talk about how much fun this past Sunday was. For the first time in league history, AllPlay Athletics succesfully ran simultaneous games throughout the course of 5 hours at our new home, St Francis High School. The look in the players eyes when they walked in and saw the hardwood, the gym set up, the chairs, bleachers, everythings else included, it was something out of a movie. A lot to learn from this past weekend as a league as we transition our Sunday's to the new facility as well as a lot of fun left to be had this upcoming summer, Before we dive more into that, I just want to take one last moment to shout out everyone that has helped us throughout our journey. From the score keepers, stat keepers, broadcast and media volunteers, social media conent creators and collabarators, Casey "The Kid", and anyone else I'm leaving out, thank you for everything you do.
Now with that being said, let's get to the nitty gritty.
As always, 3 games at IFS to kick off our Week 2 slate starting on Thursday night.
Spurs 72 Nets 58
A hot start for the Nets was short lived in this one. Nets guard Conor Foley was the high scorer for the Nets with 21 in the action and Rookie Kavon "Unc" Rogers made his summer league debut adding a double-double (14P, 13R). The Nets got to the basket early in the contest and Nets GM BG hit a huge 3 to extend an early lead to 11. Conor Foley keep the scoring rolling adding a 3 of his own a few minutes later into the 1H to stretch the lead to 15. A couple stops for the Spurs and a Sean Weisansal corner 3 trimmed the Nets lead to 4 going into the half. A 14-4 run for the Spurs to begin the 2H was all the momentum the Spurs needed to turn things around. A 38-20 2H favoring the Spurs resulted in a 14 point win for the now 2-0 Ben Bill led Spurs.
The Spurs will face the Sixers (1-1) this Sunday at 7PM in Gym 2 at St. Francis HS
The Nets will face the Magic (1-1) this Sunday at 5PM in Gym 1 at St Francis HS
Lakers 88 Bulls 41
The chatter around the league this past week was how could the Lakers drop a game to the Sixers? They were saying the Lakers we're washed and not good. 1.1 took that personal (insert MJ took it personal gif). Rookie Clark Brueckl made his debut as well as a statement game in his first action in the AllPlay Summer League dropping 24 in his debut. What looked like it was going to be a back and fourth game slowly turned into a 3 point lead, then a 6 point lead, 9 point lead, all the way to a 40-26 Laker lead at the half. It only got better/worse from there, depending on who you're a fan of. The Lakers went on to dominate the 2H by way of a 48-15 2H score. Fun fact about this game, every player from both teams scored at least 1 point. The Bulls were led by Daryl Hanes 15 points on the evening.
The Lakers will face the Heat (2-0) this Sunday at 6PM in Gym 1 at St. Francis HS
The Bulls will face the Thunder (2-0) this Sunday at 5PM in Gym 2 at St. Francis HS
Magic 61 Knicks 44
In a shocking fashion, the Magic bounced back in W2 by routing the Knicks. This one wasn't even close. The Magic started the game on a 16-0 run fueled with multiple Luke Ingrando 3s (Welcome back Luke) as well as some free throws from various teammates. It wasn't until 8 minutes into the game when Knicks Forward Kalon Kimble got the Knicks onto the scoreboard. The massacre didn't stop there. The Magic extended their lead to 20 (25-5) in the half before the Knicks finally started to find the bottom of the net. The Magic went into the half with a 31-18 lead. Ingrando finished the game with a game high 30 points and 11 rebounds for the Magic and Kalon finished with his second consecutive double-double (10P 18R).
The Magic will face the Nets (0-2) this Sunday at 5PM in Gym 1 at St. Francis HS
The Knicks will face the Rockets (1-1) this Sunday at 6PM in Gym 2 at St. Francis HS
**For the first time in league history, AllPlay Athletics / JDL, hosted gamed at St. Francis High School and the product did not disappoint!
We will break down the games by main gym first and secondary gym second. Not every game was recorded / broadcasted as upper management is seeking ways to accomodate that issue. Without further ado, lets dive into the acton.
Heat 62 Pistons 58
Game 1 of the main gym featured the defending champion Pistons and the red hot Heat. You could tell that the vibes were high, maybe a little too high as scoring was low and turnovers were evident. One player rose above and showed his true grit and thats Heat Rookie Joe Ciocca. In his debut, Joe popped off for 25 points and paired that with one hell of a calf cramp post game. A back and fourth 1H resulted in a 2 point Heat lead going into the half. A tech from Mike Bass rewarded the Heat with 2 free points. What looked like the beginning of the end for the Pistons quicly turned back in their favor as Heat forward Jemery Clark finished a tough basket and blessed his team with a techincal foul of his own. A late Pistons run looked promising for a comeback but they fell short resulting in a 4 point win for the Heat. Marcinkowski was the high scorer for the Pistons with 17.
The Heat will face the Lakers (1-1) this Sunday at 6PM in Gym 1 at St. Francis HS
The Pistons will face the Raptors (0-2) this Sunday at 8PM in Gym 1 at St. Francis HS
Thunder 71 Raptors 61
Thunder
Tyler Kittinger 35P, 14R
Austin Peach 8P, 8R, 6A, 5S
Raptors
Noah Grabar 30P
Limited review due to un-broadcasted game
The Thunder will face the Bulls (0-2) this Sunday at 5PM in Gym 2 at St. Francis HS
The Raptors will face the Pistons (1-1) this Sunday at 8PM in Gym 1 at St. Francis HS
Bucks 55 Celtics 44
No Borrello? No problem. In a low scoring affair the Bucks handed the Celtics their first loss of the season. The Celtics got out to an early lead running a high-low offense against the Bucks 2-3 zone. Celtics C Brandon "B Dubs" Williams went on a personal 8-0 run to double up the Bucks at 16-8. The Bucks responded with a Jack Bickerstaff and-1 to stop the Dubs run. Outside of Rookie Guard Patrick Connolly for the Celtics, the team struggled to score as whole. 3rd overall pick and recent Brodie League champ Jack Bernstein was colder than a Buffalo winter only scoring 5 for the Celtics. The Bucks got into the bonus early in the first half which helped them trim the Celtics lead. A Matt Gorski 3 out of a timeout for the Bucks swayed the 1H momentum in the Bucks favor. Enter reigning 6 Man of the Year Nolan Edwards. Nolan led all scorers in the contest with 21 points while displaying excellent range as well as touch around the rim. The Celtics went into the half up 4 but allowed Edwards to find his rhythm. The Celtics came out in the 2H and scored a quick Bernstein jumper and a Nani Rivera shot. Then went 8 straight minutes without a basket. The score quickly went from 32-27 to 41-32 in favor of the Bucks. The Bucks would go on to hold the lead and secure their 2nd win of the season.
The Bucks will face the Wolves (0-2) this Sunday at 8PM in Gym 2 at St. Francis HS
The Celtics will face the Mavs (2-0) this Thursday at 630PM at IFS Basketball
Kings 64 Clippers 52
Kings
Malikye Ridgeway 26P
Mario Quattrucci 22P
Mike Borton 4P, 18R
Clippers
Nate Hoellig 16P, 10R
Putt Brown 11P
Kam Williams 12P
Limited review due to un-broadcasted game
The Kings will face the Grizzlies (2-0) this Thursday at 730PM at IFS Basketball
The Clippers will face the Sonics (1-1) this Sunday at 9PM in Gym 1 at St. Francis HS
Grizzlies 48 Wizards 43
I apologize to our loyal Twitch followers for this one. If you were looking for offense in this matchup, you were looking in the wrong direction. There was some good however. Grizzlies Guard Conrad "997" Ring displayed excellent glass cleaning ability securing 10 of his 18 rebounds in the first half, a league high for the week. The Grizzlies went into halftime with a 22-12 lead. Grizzlies guards Tony Gualla and AJ Turner had 13 a piece for a total of 26 of the teams 43 points in the game. A late run for the Wizards cut a double digit Grizzlies lead to single digits but it wasn't enough as the Grizz held on for the W2 win.
The Grizzlies will face the Kings (2-0) this Thursdsy at 730PM at IFS Basketball
The Wizards will face the Suns (0-2) this Thursday at 830PM at IFS Basketball
Sonics 74 Suns 67
Sonics
Keylo Bradberry 21P
Roy Wallace 12P, 15R
Mitchell Middlebrooks 17P
Suns
Jason Martin 16P
Matteo Duennebacke 13P, 14R
Limited review due to un-broadcasted game
The Sonics will face the Clippers (0-2) this Sunday at 9PM in Gym 1 at St. Francis HS
The Suns will face the Wizards (0-2) this Thursday at 830PM at IFS Basketball
Mavs 79 Bobcats 72 OT
THE GAME OF THE WEEK AND IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT! This was everything we as consumers could have asked for. Back and fourth scoring, scoring runs, drama, big shots. This game was jam packed with content. This game not only featured the Game of the Week, it also featured last seasons MVP Eric Geisler in his Summer debut. The stars were out and the lights were bright.
The Bobcats came out the gate in a 2-3 zone. The plan was to contain Mavs guard Aaron Jones. The Mavs also started in a 2-3 zone. Cats Forward Eddie Cosgrove got the Cats on the board with a quick 3 and Mavs Forward Andy The Handyman Strug got his team inviolved early in the paint. Aaron Jones slashed through the Cats Defense early in the half and got to the baja often. The Mavs extended a 1H lead to 9 late in the half before MVP and Eddie Cosgrove brought the Cats back to within 1. Mavs Forward Ahmet Merzihic found Zak Ciezki in the corner at the buzzer to give the Mavs a 4 point cushion at the half.
The 2H was as electric if not more than the 1H. A back and fourth battle for the entirety of the game. Fast forward to the last 90 seconds of the 2H. Bobcats up 4 when Aaron Jones drove through the lane and finished. Bobcats Forward Jahmal Garner responded to keep the lead at 4 with 45 seconds left. Zak got fouled on a drive to the basket and secured 2 of 2 to cut the Bobcat lead to 2. Garner missed the front end of the bonue free throw which lead to a foul on Mavs Guard Jones. Jones hit the first shot and missed the second however the ball deflected off a Cats player, giving possession to the Mavs. On the inbound, the Handyman slipped a screen to the basket and finished a tough layup to put the Mavs up 1. Garner took the inbound for the Cats and drove into contact and got to the line down 1. Garner missed the first but made the second. With 10 seconds left on the clock, Jones looked to take the last shot for the Mavs. He drove from right wing to the middle of the floor when Garner stepped in and stripped Jones with 4 seconds left. Garner drove the length of the court for a potential buzzer beater but blew the game winning layup going up too strong.
OVERTIME! In OT, it was all Mavs. The Handyman continued to battle in the paint creating opportunities for himself and teammate Ahmet Merzihic to give the Mavs a lead which they went on to hold until the end.
The Mavs will face the Celtics (1-1) this Thursday at 630PM at IFS Basketball
The Bobcats will face the Nuggets (1-1) this Sunday at 7PM in Gym 1 at St. Francis HS
Nuggets 64 Wolves 52
Nuggets
Devon Darrell 28P, 10R, 1 stolen Wilson Evolution
Charlie "No Cap" Sobieraski 7P, 16R
Wolves
Chris Bourne 21P, 5 3s
No Jarmani Cooper for the Wolves
The Nuggets will face the Bobcats (1-1) this Sunday at 7PM in Gym 1 at St. Francis HS
** The Wolves will face the Bucks (2-0) this Sunday at 8PM in Gym 2 at St. Francis HS**
Limited review due to un-broadcasted game
Rockets 73 Sixers 49
The Rockets came into this game mad and it showed. Coming off a tough W1 loss to the Thunder, the Rockets had nothing but bad intentions for the Sixers and it showed early as Rockets Center Derek "Big Cat" Dorr threw Sixers GM Gavin Mages to the ground and shoved him. Some are saying it was intentional, Derek said it was just business. Al Hiam did a good job facilitating finding Guard Jay Bergmann multiple times for deep 3s. This game got ugly early and stayed that way from beginning until end. The absence of Sixers Forward Jake Ritts and 1st round pick Chase Kline were evident as the Sixers struggled to score.
The Rockets will face the Knicks (1-1) this Sunday in Gym 2 at 6PM at St. Francis HS
The Sixers will face the Spurs (2-0) this Sunday in Gym 2 at 7PM at St. Francis HS