The South Bay Lakers end 2017 with a big win over the Salt Lake City Stars, and they did it without Vander Blue, Alex Caruso and Ivica Zubac.
The South Bay Lakers (14-7), who rank second in the G-League in 3-point percentage (39.9 percent) and field goal percentage (49.8 percent), needed a win against the Salt Lake City Stars to get over the hangover from the contested one-point loss to the Agua Caliente Clippers game two nights prior.
The team lost to rival AC Clippers by one measly point, 118-117, on a controversial play in the final seconds of the game.
The Lakers were ahead most of the game but then the score evened up, and it stayed that way through the second half. Vander Blue scored 24 (four rbs, six ast), Ivica Zubac (eight rbs, three blks) and Thomas Bryant (nine rbs) both scored 18 points. Scott Machado scored 13 points and showed his floor-general prowess once again.
To finish out 2017, the SB Lakers took on the Salt Lake City Stars (Utah Jazz Affiliate) for the 70th time in G-League history.
Los Angeles Lakers
The Stars came into the game 3-19 desperate for a win. Every player on the Lakers roster got minutes as they out-scored the Stars and were up as much as 24 points during the game. The Stars had the lead only once by two points.
The fans in attendance filled the seats Saturday night, and they were a loud bunch! South Bay Point guard Scott Machado is really feeling his mojo on the court these days.
He started the game with back to back to back shots, and then a third which ended up being a sweet bank shot three. Then Machado sent a lob to Thomas for a dunk. This duo is starting to gel a bit more without Alex Caruso, who was assigned and moved to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Just when you thought South Bay might have slowed down a bit, Machado passed a bounce pass back behind him and Travis Wear picked it up and slammed it home. This wouldn’t be the first time that night he brought the roof down. The second was when he faked right then decided to take to the rim with one hand. BOOM!
In all, six SB Lakers scored in double figures, and two earned double-doubles. Impressive!
- Travis Wear topped the leaderboard with 27 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists. Wear made an impressive five of six of his 3-point shots.
- Scott Machado scored 21 points and earned a double-double with 11 assists adding four rebounds
- Demarcus Holland earned a double-double scoring 17 points and snatching 10 rebounds. He also notched four assists.
- Stephaun Branch logged 13 points, six rebounds and a steal on the night.
- Ian Baker got some playing minutes tonight (17:56) and scored 11 points, grabbed three rebounds and dropped four dimes.
- Thomas Bryant added 10 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and a steal.
Here are highlights and post-game interviews with Wear, Machado, and head coach Coby Karl. They also talk about the controversial play at the end of the loss to the AC Clippers two night prior:
Machado and Wea,r along with Branch, should be looked at by NBA scouts for call-ups or two-way contracts as they are really looking good on the court. They are playing with ice in the veins if you will, putting up respectable numbers.
South Bay veteran André Ingram only needed to score one point to move into sole possession of the tenth all-time scorer. Ingram scored four! He now has scored 3,583 points and needs just 46 points to move into 9th place above Texas’s Justin Dentmon.
So far this season, Blue has the most assists at 14 and Caruso the most steals at seven, and Machado’s 39 points scored against the Suns on Dec. 5 was the most since Manny Harris in 2014. Machado is currently in third place in the G-League in assists, averaging 7.8 assists per game.
Here is the controversial play from the AC Clippers game, you be the judge!
Next: South Bay Lakers: Don't miss this contagious fan experience
The South Bay Lakers (First in the Pacific Division) go on the road next week playing every other day starting tonight, Jan. 2, 2018. Two of the teams are also in first place in their division. They take on Sioux Falls Sky Force (9-12, Third in the Midwest Division), then the Rio Grande Valley Vipers (15-7, First in the Southwest Division), and finally the Oklahoma Blue (11-10, First in the Midwest Division) on the 6th.