Season 59 Featured Game No. 6...Los Angeles at Gillette...plus Bonus

 

LOS ANGELES 89, GILLETTE 77

L.A. REMAINS UNBOWED

GILLETTE -- The L.A. express sped past another MBA city without taking on any baggage in the way of losses, racing past the home team Humps 89-77 and remaining unbeaten at 6-0.

The 12-point final margin was not reflective of the potent first half The Big One put together, when they scored 34 first-quarter points and accumulated 62 by halftime. 

The head-to-head showdown between the league's top two scorers, Pinky Toe of L.A. and Maboroshi No Hotcake of Gillette was anti-climatic, although neither disappoiinted. 

Gillette (now 2-4) managed to avoid the Slaughter Rule and actually out-scored Los Angeles by 10 in the second half; but that was cold comfort as they continue to drop further from playoff contention.

Points prevented by quarters

Los Angeles...5...0...3...4  Total=12

Gillette...........2...0...2...0  Total=4

Leaders in points prevented

1. Grand Demur Fuyacho, Los Angeles...4

2. Pinky Toe, Los Angeles...3

2. Blue Bottle, Los Angeles...3

PLAYER OF THE GAME

42 GVP...Los Angeles point guard supreme PINKY TOE captured his third consecutive POG of the season and fourth overall, doubling up his next closest competitors in this category. The sixth-year star, who seems destined to win his first Most Valuable Player award and gain a berth in the Hall of Fame, scored a game-high 35 points in his duel with Maboroshi No Hotcake, tying for game honors in assists with 5 and adding a pair of rebounds. He scored 12 in the first quarter and hit his first 9 shots of the game before finally missing on a 3-point bomb. By halftime he had accumulated 28 points before slowing the scoring pace once the competitive portion of the game was over. He was 13 for 19 overall, with 4 3-pointers in 7 attempts, going 5 for 8 from the foul line. The move from two guard to point seems to have agreed with him, as he is scoring at his best rate ever...24.3 per contest.

Other 20-plus GVP performers

36 GVP...Los Angeles power forward Grand Demur Fuyacho...2nd career TRIPLE DOUBLE...22 points...7 rebounds...5 blocks...2 assists...most points prevented in the game.

30 GVP...Los Angeles rookie shooting guard Braddah Wayne...19 points...5 blocked shots...3 rebounds...2 assists...1 steal.

27 GVP...Gillette point guard Maboroshi No Hotcake...21 points (4 treys)...3 rebounds...3 assists.

26 GVP...Gillette power forward Gene Pope...20 points...5 rebounds...1 steal.

MBA Standings … Season 59

EAST DIVISION

DALLAS…………………4-1

PHILADELPHIA………4-1

MILWAUKEE………..3-3

CHARLESTON……….1-4

OKLAHOMA CITY….0-5

 

WEST DIVISION

LOS ANGELES….6-0

SAN JOSE…………3-2

SEATTLE………….2-3

GILLETTE…………2-4

SACRAMENTO…2-4

NEXT UP:  Big game next with Seattle traveling to San Jose. The Stampede is looking to match The Fighting Amigos’ record and avenge a 65-64 ambush from early this season. 

BONUS

CLOSE GAMES ABOUND 

With Season 59 barely halfway over, there have already been nine barn-burner games this season, tying the total number for all of last season and all-but-assuring an unusually number of close contests for this campaign.

(Barn-burners are defined as games that end with 3-point victories or less or overtime games.)

As might be expected, the league’s two division-leading teams are having the most success in these squeakers.

Los Angeles (6-0 overall) has been in two barn-burners and won them both.

Dallas (4-1) has a 2-1 record in its three barn-burners.

San Jose (3-2) has won its lone barn-burner.

Milwaukee (3-3) is also 1-0 in close games.

Gillette (2-4) is also 1-0 in close ones.

Sacramento (2-3) is 1-1 in its two squeakers.

Seattle (2-3) is also 1-1 in barn-burners

Charleston (1-4) has come out on the wrong end of all three of its close games. In fact, in its last three games, the Mountaineers have lost by 1 point to Milwaukee, lost by one point to Gillette and lost by two points in overtime to mighty Dallas.

Oklahoma City (0-5) has also been to the wire in three games, losing them all. Two of them were to two of the league’s best teams…an overtime loss to Dallas and their most recent loss, at the buzzer to iunbeaten Los Angeles.

Only Philadelphia has not experienced a barn-burner game this season.