Wearing a new patch on their sleeve to commemorate Adam Cave, the D-Fenders took it to the Sioux Falls Skyforce in a revenge match.
It wasn’t that long ago that the Los Angeles D-Fenders went to the D-League finals and lost to the Sioux Falls Skyforce in game three. The D-Fenders were out for some revenge Thursday night.
Vander Blue came into the match as the D-League player of the week, which he said was a nice gesture.
“It’s a cool achievement, but not really,” said Blue. “I appreciate the recognition and the award obviously, but I am just trying to get better every day and help my team.”
The D-Fenders also had Lakers’ center Ivica Zubac available for the night. Zubac wasn’t the only Laker in the gym, with Larry Nance Jr. and his girlfriend siting courtside. Nance has a noticeable limp .
Both the Skyforce and the D-Fenders came into the game with a 13-4 record, making them the top two teams in the league.
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The D-Fenders have been so proficient with the ball that they also came into tonight’s game ranked first in field goals made (42.2), field goal percentage (.484), scoring average (120.3) and assists (24.2).
The first half was all offense, and the score proved it, the two finals teams were tied at 69. Josh Magette had already made two out of three 3-pointers, all four free throws, and four out of seven field goals for a total of 14 points. Add to that stat six assists and Magette was on his way to a double-double.
Three of Magette’s teammates were also in double figures; Justin Harper (12), Ivica Zubac (11), and Vander Blue (10). The D-Fenders had out-rebounded the Skyforce 23-17, though the Skyforce had shot twice as many three’s and made 52.4 percent of them as opposed to the four out of 11 LA shot. Both Harper and Zubac racked up six rebounds apiece.
Watching a D-Fenders game, there are a few things you can always bank on:
- Justin Harper will shoot a sweet free-throw with perfect form
- Vander Blue will drive to the basket drawing a foul from at least one of three defenders
- David Nwaba will block a shot that you would think isn’t blockable
- Josh Magette will dazzle you with not only a no-look pass but a behind the back bounce pass. “I get in the zone, and I don’t really think and stuff happens,” said Magette, “Anytime they’re not looking at me and I know I can get the ball to one of my guys I can pretty much throw it anywhere if I don’t hit their body it can be an alright pass. If they turn their head, I’ll throw it!”
- Ivica Zubac will dunk the ball and smile
For the Skyforce, 6-foot-8 forward Okaro White out of Florida State scored 29 points by the end of the third quarter. Add to that six rebounds and three assists, as well as making 10 out of 11 free throws. That said, the D-Fenders had made 24 out of 25 of their free throws; that’s an impressive 96 percent Lakers fans.
Things slipped a bit for the D-Fenders in the fourth quarter, but Josh was not about to give up, put on his assist hat and started shoveling the ball to his teammates. Down by eight points, with six minutes left, LA had brought the score within one point, 115-116.
“It was a big surprise seeing that on the uniforms in the locker room” – Vander Blue
Down again, somehow Vander got fouled shooting a 3-pointer, and his four-point play brought LA again within four points. Magette’s 13th assist went to Jeff Ayers for a slam dunk, and now the D-Fenders were only two points away from tying the Skyforce. Vander then made his towel twelve the straight free throw and tied the game with 22 seconds to go.
Somehow, Magette lost the ball, thought he was fouled, and the loudest Skyforce teammate Briante Weber scored an uncontested layup, and Justin Harper received a technical. Apparently, two things happened that the D-Fenders aren’t used too.
First, Harper complained that he did not get a call, and drew the T. And second, Magette got called for a flop, “Apparently that was the first time it was ever called, after two or three reviews of one of the plays. I thought there was contact, but they said I flopped.”
The Skyforce capitalized on the calls and missed a 3-pointer with 3.3 seconds left, beat LA 128-125.
We asked a few players what they learned for their next matchup against their nemesis:
“I think it starts with our defense.” said Magette. “Like most nights, especially on the transition defense, we gotta stop the ball a little earlier and not let them play as downhill as much. But they’re a good team, and we definitely have some history with them going back to last year, so it’s added incentive when we play against them.”
“I’m not even sure they were considered big time scorers, I think they probably had career nights tonight,” said Blue, “so we have just gotta stick to the scouting report and play with intensity. Those guys were playing hard and attacking the glass — so we have to play to the opponent’s intensity. We have to keep our composure. I’m going to try to find angles, attack on defense, score points, and get some fouls.”
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This loss was a big bummer! Magette ended the game with 24 points, 13 assists, and two rebounds. Five D-Fenders scored in double figures, and Zubac finished the night with 15 points and nine rebounds. On to the next one! These two teams meet again on January 21st in Sioux Falls and then again on the 26th at home again. You won’t want to miss it.