The Erie Bayhawks sent the streaking NBA G League Ignite crashing hard back to earth with a 127-87 mauling on Wednesday, February 17 (Thursday, February 18, Manila time) at the Disney World bubble in Orlando, Florida.
Congolese prospect Jonathan Kuminga had his first pro league double-double with a team-high 21 points and 10 rebounds, albeit on a paltry 10-of-23 clip in 36 minutes.
Fil-Am upstart Jalen Green was the only other Ignite starter in double-digit scoring with 13 points on 6-of-15 shooting.
Prospect point guard Daishen Nix came off the bench and also tallied his first G League double-double with 13 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 assists, while big man Isaiah Todd chipped in 9 points in 19 minutes.
Building off a commanding 22-8 start in a 35-16 opening quarter, the NBA veteran-filled Bayhawks soared to a 30-point lead, 56-26, with 6:16 left in the 2nd frame after Caleb Homesley capped a 15-2 run with his third straight three.
At that point, Ignite already had 10 turnovers, almost tying their 11 field goals made. They then missed 12 of their first 13 triples while the Bayhawks connected on 10 of their first 23 at the end of the first half.
Ignite’s fortunes then only took a turn for the worse after the intermission as the Bayhawks extended the lead as high as 43, 117-74, with 4:06 left in the 4th quarter, off a Marlon Taylor layup.
In the previous possession, Kuminga got a consolation highlight with an alley-oop jam from a Nix lob, but got a technical foul immediately afterwards, a sequence which simply summed up the kind of day his team was having.
Debuting Indian center Princepal Singh then rode out the closing minutes as the Bayhawks cruised to victory and tied Ignite at 4-1 in the standings.
Naji Marshall led 6 Bayhawks in double-digit scoring with 21 points in just 24 minutes off the bench. Former NBA players Jalen Adams and Jarrod Uthoff had 17 markers apiece while NBA champion forward Jordan Bell added 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting.
With Singh’s debut now in the books, Filipino wunderkind Kai Sotto is the only one left in the Ignite prospects’ pool who hasn’t suited up for a game.
The 7-foot-3 teenage tower is currently quarantining in the US with his place in head coach Brian Shaw’s rotation still up in the air following a short and controversial stint as a part of Gilas Pilipinas’ 2021 FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers roster. – Rappler.com
via PK
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