The BIG3 took over the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon, on Saturday for another week of brilliant basketball -- albeit with some modifications. Due to Friday's global computer outage, various members of the league were unable to make the trip. One casualty of such difficulties was the final game of the evening, as Aliens vs. 3's Company was canceled.
The effects were apparent on most teams playing -- except for the Enemies, who cruised to their sixth straight win with a 50-18 blowout over the 3-Headed Monsters. Their win streak now extends to nine games dating back to last year, and Saturday's victory also guaranteed them a playoff spot. Following Bivouac's stunning upset loss to the Ghost Ballers, the Enemies are now the only unbeaten team remaining.
Here are the final scores and some key takeaways from week 6 of the BIG3.
Scores
- Tri-State 51, Triplets 43
- Enemies 51, 3 Headed Monsters 18
- Ghost Ballers 50, Bivouac 42
- Ball Hogs 50, Killer 3's 36
- Trilogy 50, Power 47
Takeaways
Chris Johnson leads Ghost Ballers to upset
The Ghost Ballers took down Bivouac behind Chris Johnson's 28 points, seven rebounds and two assists. Forward Dewayne Jackson, one of the BIG3's newest players, tallied 11 points, eight rebounds and four assists in his debut. For Bivouac, Corey Brewer excelled despite the loss with 24 points and 10 rebounds. Garlon Green made an impact in several areas, finishing with 11 points, eight rebounds and two assists.
Following the win, Johnson told Brian Scalabrine he wanted to start the game with more aggression, saying, "It feels like [when] I get going, I can open up a whole lot more." He added that Bivouac's unbeaten record "didn't really matter."
"I just know what we need, and we needed that win today and we'll see what happens," Johnson said.
Regarding the playoffs, the fourth-year big man believed that Saturday's win was pivotal towards their playoff positioning, adding: "I feel like we're battle-tested…We just had to play through some adversity and understand the game is full of runs, as you know, and just continue to build from there."
The Ghost Ballers have the tools needed to get into the playoff picture for a third straight season. If that happens, they'll be looking to avenge their semifinal loss to the Triplets last year.
Tri-State perseveres to 4-2 record
This week's opener went down to the wire, as Tri-State ended the game on a 10-2 run for a 51-43 win over the Triplets. Without captain Jason Richardson in town, Ray Nixon emerged as the hero, knocking down the game-winning 3-pointer and finishing with 13 points, two rebounds, one steal and one block. Kevin Murphy, per usual, led the way with 21 points, eight rebounds, four assists, two steals and one block. He made several clutch buckets late in the game after missing several easy shots in the opening minutes.
"I'm not making excuses, but I was at the airport from 7 a.m. yesterday, and just landed at 6 a.m. today," Murphy said. "I started off slow, but my teammates, Ray and Amir, they did awesome.
"I've been playing basketball [for] a long time. I know a couple missed shots [are] not going to turn me from playing my game. That's all I was doing, just staying with it."
With their recent string of wins, Tri-State have put themselves in excellent position to make their postseason debut, and -- perhaps -- have a decent shot at the title.
Enemies title defense continues
The Enemies earned their largest win of the season behind major contributions from Isaiah Austin and Jordan Crawford. The duo tallied 13 points apiece with multiple 3-pointers. Chris Allen played his role to a tee with 12 points and eight rebounds.
Allen said that this year is "definitely" the Enemies' year, adding, "The way we move the ball, the way we play together, the way we are unselfish, it's just a great feeling, great camaraderie."
He noted that his teammates have motivated him to play his way, and that, in turn, has led to performances like this one.
"Every single one of those guys, they're always on my head," he said. "[They were saying], 'Chris, come on man! You gotta play! I know we're doing what we're doing, but you gotta do what you gotta do.' So, when you [have] guys telling you stuff like that, it's so easy to come out here and do your thing."
Allen has become one of the Enemies' go-to players as an undrafted rookie, having entered Saturday averaging 6.8 points and 3.8 rebounds on 43.8% shooting from the field and 33% from 3-point range. He has complemented Crawford and Stewart perfectly and become a vital bench scorer for a team hoping to repeat.