Week 7 in the BIG3 had make it or break it playoff implications for a number of teams. Two of those teams, the Aliens and 3’s Company faced off in the opening game in Milwaukee. After slow starts, both teams seemed to be hitting their stride but were still in the bottom third of the standings in what is proving to be a tight race to the playoffs.
The Aliens’ 2-4 record coming into Sunday could be a bit misleading. The Aliens can score; and they can score in bunches. A strong first half from Brandon Rush in which he knocked down four 3-pointers en route to his 17 points, had the Aliens out to a 26-21 lead. With Rush in a zone on the outside, Greg Oden got it done in the paint scoring 18 points, grabbing nine rebounds, and 2 blocks. In the second half, it was all Aliens despite another solid performance from Andre Emmett. Emmett led all scorers with 19 points and pulled down six rebounds as 3’s Company dropped to 3-4 as a result of the 50-35 loss. Both teams are 3 games behind the Triplets and Power who top the standings.
Keeping with the must-win narrative, the 3 Headed Monsters found themselves entering Sunday’s game having lost three in a row after starting 2-0. The Monsters were in command early, carrying a 10-point lead into the half. A second half surge by the Triplets saw the game end in one of the most electrifying plays in the BIG3 season, if not its history. Alan Anderson, Al Jefferson, and new addition Jamario Moon helped the Triplets to a 35-point second half before Joe Johnson capped off the comeback with a step back 4-pointer for the win.
That was the first time the Triplets led all game. After the 50-48 loss, the 3 Headed Monsters face an uphill battle standing at 2-4; four games behind the Triplets and Power. Johnson led all scorers with 26 points while Anderson added 11. Mario Chalmers led three Monsters with double digits as he finished with 16 points. Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf added 14 and Rashard Lewis scored 10 points.
At 0-6 and the playoffs all but out of reach, the Ball Hogs are playing for pride at this point. For a minute, it looked like that would be enough. The Ball Hogs got out to a strong 25-13 lead on the surging Trilogy. New additions to the Ball Hogs roster, Xavier Silas and Mustapha Farrakhan combined to score 18 of the team’s 38 total points. However, it was a new addition to the Trilogy lineup that got the team going en route to a strong second half and a 51-43 win. Samardo Samuels scored 17 points and pulled down seven rebounds in his Trilogy debut. David Hawkins continued his strong season, finishing with 19 points, extending his streak of 18-plus points to four games. DeShawn Stevenson led the Ball Hogs with 13 points and four rebounds. The loss officially eliminates the Ball Hogs from playoff contention while Trilogy sits in third place.
Trilogy takes a four-game win streak to Miami where they will face revamped Ghost Ballers team hungry to move up in the rankings as the regular season draws to a close. The 3 Headed Monsters face off with the Enemies; both teams hungry for a win after several weeks without an addition to the win column. The Enemies sit in sixth place while the 3 Headed Monsters toil in eleventh place.
