Madman game!!!!!!

Houston 107, Milwaukee 101
Iguanas now 3-6, Greyhounds now 5-4
Game MVP Ching-Chong Chung of Houston, 41 points, 3 assists, 1 rebound, 1 steal
Hrundi V. Bakshi of Milwaukee gets 30 in losing effort.
Chung's running mate at guard Wes Montgomery gets 26.
Rookie forward Bruno Pantanal of Milwaukee scores 20.
Next game: Charleston (5-3) at Seattle (4-4)

Chung's 41 points is the highest total (by 6) for any MBA player in Season 31.
Chung's total of 41 ties him for sixth all time with Uncle Bob Masterson for the most points scored in one game. He is the first player to make the single-game scoring list since Funsy VanSlochum of San Jose went crazy and scored 42 in Season 26.

This marks just the second time in MBA history that both teams reached the century mark in the same contest. The last (and only other) time it happened was 10 seasons ago in Season 21 when Seattle set the record for most points in a game, outscoring Oklahoma City on May 19, 2006, 118-103. Center Gram Parsons was the only player to have played in both historic games. He played sparingly for Milwaukee in their loss tonight, but was a giant contributor, scoring 27 points off the bench for Seattle in their Season 21 triumph. By the way, no player on either side scored more than 27 points that game, with Nipple Rings Raguski also scoring 27 for Seattle.

The Houston-Milwaukee barn burner was reminiscent of the last game of the Season 29 campaign which determined which of these same two teams made it into the playoffs. Milwaukee won that game at home 93-88, despite a game-high 30 points from the 5-10 Ching-Chong Chung of Houston.

Although this has been a down year for Houston, they have the distinction of being the only team to beat Philadelphia thus far in Season 31. When both Chong and Montgomery are hot simultaneously, the Iguanas have shown they can play with anyone.

This latest Milwaukee loss gives Charleston two chances to clinch a playoff berth in either their next game against Seattle or their final game against Dallas. Meanwhile, Milwaukee can only cling to fading hopes by winning its final season game against powerhouse Philadelphia.

It must also be reported that the Sacramento River Dogs also clinched a playoff berth in the West with their latest win over Oklahoma City. A check of the records indicates that they cannot be headed by Seattle even if the Stampede wins out, since the first tie-breaker (division wins) belongs to Sacramento. The River Dogs thus advance to the playoffs for the first time since Season 24. The dog on the envelope salutes you for breaking this six-season dry spell.

SEASON 31 HEADING FOR HOME

It is officially crunch time in the MBA as the last fifth of the regular campaign of Season 31 gets under way. All but three of the 10 teams have a shot at the playoffs.

As of now, only San Jose has clinched a playoff spot.

Philadelphia, the two-time defending champion, looks to be in the driver's seat in the East, with Charleston (without injured superstar Mamadou Zongo) trying to hold off Milwaukee for the second spot. The Mountaineers have an easier road, with remaining games against the West's Seattle and Dallas teams, while Milwaukee needs to win out against Houston and Philly to keep their hopes alive. Charleston holds the cards in the event of a tie-breaker, having bested Milwaukee twice during the season.

In the West, San Jose has clinched its sixth playoff spot in the past seven seasons, with Sacramento, Seattle and Oklahoma City, in descending order of likelihood, jostling for the final perch. Oklahoma needs to win out to keep its hopes alive and faces a do-or-die game against Sacramento right away. A win by Oklahoma City opens up numerous possibilities in the three-way race, with Sacramento facing San Jose in the finale while Seattle plays Oklahoma City.

No matter how things shake out, Philadelphia has to be considered the favorite for the championship, yet again.

In the individual achievement department, Philadelphia's point guard Cheetos Jones is running away with the scoring title, averaging 26.9 points per game. He is currently ahead of the all-time mark of 26.7 registered by Hall of Famer Tommy Zoop, set in Season 24 for Oklahoma City.

Jones also seems to be way ahead in the MVP race. Rookie of the year seems to be between Dr. Gottum Gupta, Oklahoma City's center, and forward Bruno Pantanal of Milwaukee.

Jones, guard Hrundi V. Bakshi of Milwaukee and center Tom "the Bomb" Kondla of Dallas look like shoo-ins for their third consecutive All-League team. L.B. Damned of San Jose leads all forwards for one of the two available all-league forward spots, and any one of five others could get the coveted star.

Kondla looks like he will destroy his blocked shots record for one season, which he set two campaigns ago with 52 swats while playing for Houston. He has 50 now with two games remaining.