Tuesday, January 15, 2019

#GARRETH Edgecombe hit the final two baskets to enable the Temple Christian Suns to hold off the St Augustine’s College Big Red Machine in one of the Bahamas Association of Independent Secondary Schools’ marquee senior boys’ basketball games played so far this year.

#With Edgecombe’s heroic efforts, the Suns shined past the Big Red Machine 48-46 on Monday at St Augustine’s College.

#With the win, Temple Christian improved to 6-1, while SAC slipped to 5-2.

#“It was a very competitive game. They definitely came out and gave us their best effort,” said Jamal Smith, head coach of Temple Christian, of the challenge they received from SAC. “They frustrated us on both sides of the ball, but ultimately we were able to go on a run in the late half of the second half and stretch the game.”

#The Suns are shining this year, having only lost just one game to the St John’s Giants and the way they are playing, Smith is confident that they can be a contender in the playoffs.

#“We want to make sure that in our last couple of games, we are locked in and focused on making the playoffs,” Smith added. “So right now, we just want to clean up on our defence and our communication and our play on both ends of the court. Once we can do that, I think we will be in a good position to compete well in the postseason.”

#Jason Edwards, head coach of the Big Red Machine, said it was a game that they let slip away from them. But he vowed that it won’t hamper their mission to get into the playoffs and contend for the title this year.

#“The game was a hard-fought game. We just made a few turnovers down the stretch,” Edwards said. “Experience played a pivotal role down the stretch, in terms of taking care of the ball. We just missed too many free throws.”

#Edgecombe finished with nine points, but Deyton Albury led the Suns’ attack with a game high 23 points. Christian Sturrup contributed 12.

#SAC’s only other defeat came at the hands of St John’s, who got 16 points from Brian Lockhart. Tyler Moncur and Ricky Moxey both had five and Aaron Sands added four.

#Incidentally, while St John’s beat both Temple Christian and St Augustine’s College, they suffered their only loss to the Queen’s College Comets.

ON THE REPLAY: The Temple Christian Suns routed the visiting Kingsway Academy Saints 73-41 at home yesterday in Bahamas Association of Independent Secondary Schools senior boys action. Photo: Terrel W Carey/Tribune Staff

Tuesday, December 4, 2018

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#IT was a lopsided Bahamas Association of Independent Secondary Schools senior boys’ basketball affair as the Temple Christian Suns delighted their home crowd yesterday with an impressive 73-41 rout over the visiting Kingsway Academy Saints.

#Not long after they utilised their potent full court trap defence, the Saints found themselves in a hole as they couldn’t find any answers to combat their scoring drought in the second half.

#In what started out as a pretty good matchup between two teams tied with identical 2-1 win-loss records, Temple Christian broke away on a 7-0 run to extend their lead to 17-9 early in the first quarter and they were never threatened as they held on for a 17-11 margin at the end of the first break.

#With their swamping defence intact, the Suns went on to shine 32-27 at the half. But it was what they did in the third quarter that made the huge difference. They came out of the half and went on a 19-2 spurt to extend their lead to 51-29 heading into the final break.

#And even though they rested their starters midway through the fourth, they still managed to surge to a 22-14 advantage to seal the deal as the Suns shone with three players in double figures with Miguel Barnes leading the attack with 14 points and Garreth Edgecombe and Christian Sturrup both connecting on 13 points, while Deyton Albury added eight and Mitchell Fynes chipped in with seven.

#In a losing effort, McCallister Smith canned a game high 18, Ashton Webb had eight and Dacoda Johnson five, but it wasn’t enough. “Last year we played Kingsway and it was a very competitive game, so we knew they were going to come back with that same intensity,” said Temple Christian’s head coach Jammal Smith. “We took care of the ball and executed well on both ends of the court.

#“But it was our defence which made a statement today and that was critical in our victory,” he added.

#Smith said although they are sitting pretty good in the standings, their goal this year is to win the BAISS title and so they are just taking it one day and one game at a time.

#“If we can sharpen our intensity and improve on our mental focus, the sky is the limit for us,” he projected. “But we have to work hard at it every day. Nothing is going to be given to us. We have to go out there and play hard every day.”

#The Suns’ only loss was 48-44 to the St John’s Giants, but their biggest rout came against the Nassau Christian Academy Crusaders, whom they demolished by almost 70 points.

#The Saints, whose previous loss came against the Queen’s College Comets by two, simply didn’t play up to their potential and they were blown out in a game that head coach Andrew Bobb said they deserved to lose, for various reasons. “We are nursing some injuries at the moment, so I knew I had a lot of bench problems,” said Bobb, admitting that he was not trying to make any excuses. “I had to run some of my guys too long. Even when we managed to stay with them in the first half, it was kind of difficult to keep the pace up in the second half.

#“Other than that, I expected a tough fight. I believed my boys could have done way better. We had some careless turnovers, which were costly and the floodgates just opened after that.”

#Now 2-2 on the season, Bobb said he’s not giving up on his team because he feels they have a couple games they should win and enable them to get into the playoffs.

#“Hopefully we can recover from the injuries sooner than later and we can get some better performances off the bench,” he said. “But the objective is to just get into the playoffs and once we do, we will take it from there.”

#One of the highlights of the game came in the third quarter when Randall was hit with a foul and technical foul that sent Edgecombe to the line as he iced the three charity shots to extend their lead to 47-28. Then just before the break, Albury dribbled the ball from half court through the Saints’ defence for a one-handed dunk, much to the delight of their fans.

#The theatrics continued in the fourth when Sturrup scored a fading three-pointer as he fell to the floor with the Suns enjoying a 57-29 margin.

#Before they were done, Nicholas Jones got another break away one-handed dunk that cushioned their 65-32 lead and they kept on cruising from there.

Deandre Ayton. (File photo)

As of Friday, July 24, 2020

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#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#Deandre Ayton celebrated his 22nd birthday with a return to the court and led his Phoenix Suns to a win in their debut at the NBA’s season restart.

#Ayton finished with 13 points, eight rebounds and two assists in just over 20 minutes of the Suns’ 101-88 win over the Utah Jazz last night at the ESPN Wide World’s of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida.

#The second year centre shot 6-7 from the field and also made the first three pointer of his NBA career.

#Ayton scored six of his points in the first quarter and got out to a quick start, 3-4 from the field en route to an early 28-19 lead for the Suns.

#Prior to the scrimmage, Ayton spoke to reporters on life in the NBA bubble.

#“I’m trying to make a statement. I’m not just here all the way in Orlando, quarantining in a room, for no reason. I’m here to compete to the top level. If I can’t say it vocally, I can definitely be an example and show we mean business,” he said. “I honestly think, the time we’ve had here, our confidence level has actually risen. With Ricky being here and just seeing what we got when we play and we practice, we can tell we got something.”

#The Suns will scrimmage with the Boston Celtics on Sunday, July 26 and the Toronto Raptors Tuesday, July 28.

#The eight seeding games begin July 31 when the Suns will face the Washington Wizards. They will go on to face the Mavericks (August 2), Los Angeles Clippers (August 4), Indiana Pacers (August 6), Miami Heat (August 8), Oklahoma City Thunder (August 10), Philadelphia 76ers (August 11) and the Mavericks for a second time (August 13).

#Ayton met with a myriad of media outlets via Zoom and addressed the issues ahead to a return to the court including his personal goals, team goals and glaring health issues amid the COVID-19 pandemic. “I trust the league. It is dangerous. It is a thing. I think if we just follow the rules correctly, we will be good,” Ayton said.

#In the race for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference, the Suns are No.13 in the conference at 26-39, six games behind the No.8 Memphis Grizzlies (32-33). If the No.9 seed finishes more than four games behind the No.8 seed, No. 8 will make the playoffs. If they are fewer than games behind the teams will complete in a play-in tournament.

#Despite pundits showing little favour of the Suns’ chances of getting into the playoffs, Ayton said his organisation remains singularly focused. “It’s a little window to make the playoffs and make some history,” he said. “That’s all that’s on our mind. We’re young and hungry, and we’re ready to play.”

#In his second NBA season, Ayton is averaging 19 points, 12 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game while shooting 54 per cent from the field in just 30 games. According to Basketball Reference, his player efficiency is ranked at No.35 in the league at 20.5.

Sacramento Kings centre Willie Cauley-Stein (00) drives to the basket against Phoenix Suns centre Deandre Ayton in the first half in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

As of Friday, January 11, 2019

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#DALLAS (AP) — Rookie Deandre Ayton scored six points and grabbed five rebounds for the last-place Phoenix Suns in a 104-94 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night. He also had a block, steal and an assist in 20 minutes on the hardwood.

#T.J. Warren scored 20 points for the Suns, who led by eight in the first half.

#However, Luka Doncic connected on a 3-pointer to put Dallas ahead for good in the third quarter, then did a couple of other things that make the Mavericks believe they have something special in their 19-year-old rookie.

#First Doncic disrupted an attempted alley-oop for a steal before an assist on a jump-pass out of a double team from close to half court to DeAndre Jordan near the basket for a dunk to help the Mavericks take control.

#The Slovenian guard scored 30 points to go with six rebounds, five assists and three steals and Dallas ended a seven-game losing streak against Phoenix.

#“Luka does crazy stuff all the time,” said Jordan, who had 11 points and seven rebounds. “So I’m not surprised by anything he does.”

#Maybe even a little too crazy at times, like the high-arching 3-point try from 32 feet — one of a pair of a-bit-too-long attempts from deep that missed. He was an otherwise solid 8-of-14 shooting in his fourth game with at least 30 points.

#The Slovenian guard still went 4 of 9 beyond the arc with a four-point play in the first half while finishing four points shy of his career high.

#Doncic made just 10 of his career-high 16 free-throw attempts as the Mavericks went to the line 45 times, a season high, making 32.

#Scoring leader Devin Booker missed the Kings game and was out again in Dallas with back spasms.

#Phoenix is a combined 1-13 in back-to-back pairs — 1-6 on the front end and 0-7 on the back. It was the Suns’ first loss to Dallas since a 113-108 defeat in Mexico City almost two years ago.

#Two of their 10 wins this season came against Dallas at home, including the season opener.

#Ayton, drafted two spots ahead of Doncic as the No. 1 overall pick, spent the second half in foul trouble and finished with six points and five rebounds along with five fouls.

#“For the first time, I think I ever, went scoreless in the first half and stuff like that just started to get to me a little bit,” said Ayton, who was 1 of 7 from the field.

#“It was just me being the bad egg today. I’m going to apologise to them about this, but yeah, it was a bad game for me.”

#Harrison Barnes scored 17 points for Dallas, making all 10 of his free throws to offset 3-of-11 shooting.

#Wesley Matthews had 12 of his 14 points in the second half, including a banked-in 3 for a 96-84 lead with three minutes to go.

Deandre Ayton

As of Wednesday, July 1, 2020

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#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#Bahamian Deandre Ayton, preparing to head to Orlando, Florida, for the Phoenix Suns’ completion of the National Basketball Association competition 2019/20 season, is lending his support to another charitable cause in Arizona.

#The Suns’ 6-foot, 11-inch centre will join Phoenix Mercury centre Brittney Griner, using the power of gaming and social media to raise money for COVID-19 relief and social justice.

#Ayton and Griner are two of 11 athletes joining forces with Facebook Gaming to livestream games exclusively on Facebook and their own Facebook pages using a Live Donate button to raise money for two of the most prominent causes in the United States and beyond.

#In a press release yesterday, said Evan Shugerman, head of Facebook athlete sports partnerships:

#“Athletes continue to be remarkable forces for good on social media and we’re excited for this particular group to use Facebook Gaming this summer to entertain fans and raise money for incredibly important causes.”

#Ayton and Griner are a part of nine other athletes who Facebook will be donating $20,000 to the charity of their choice.

#While Ayton’s choice will be NAACP Legal Defence and Education Fund, Griner’s is for Hunger: Not Impossible.

#The other nine are Donovan Mitchell (Utah Jazz), Julian Edelman (New England Patriots), Allie Long, (US Soccer/Reign FC), Alex Caruso (Los Angeles Lakers), Bogdan Bogdanovic (Sacramento Kings), JaVale McGee (Los Angeles Lakers), Josh Richardson (Philadelphia 76ers), Zach LaVine (Chicago Bulls) and Tacko Fall (Boston Celtics).

#The 21-year-old Ayton, who was the No.1 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft by the Suns and one of two Bahamians playing in the league, could not be reached for comments.

#He is scheduled to join the Suns in the NBA bubble at Wilt Disney in Orlando on July 31 when 22 teams compete for this year’s title. The other is Grand Bahamian shooting guard Chavano “Buddy” Hield of the Sacramento Kings, who is recuperating from the coronavirus. He too is expected to play in Orlando.

#The Suns are currently 13th in the Western Conference with a 26-39 win-loss record, and will have to play eight games through August 14 in order to earn a berth into the playoffs that will begin on August 17.

#While those games will be played without any fans, family and guests of teams will arrive on August 30 for the conference semi-finals set for August 31 to September 13.

#The Conference finals will be contested September 15-28.

#The NBA finals will then take place September 30 to October 13.

#Ayton, now known for his offensive stuffs and defensive swats, will get at least eight more games from the time he lost on the court during this past regular season under coach Monty Williams.

#He was suspended for 25 games without pay by the NBA on October 24 for violating the terms of the NBA/NBPA Anti-Doping Programme by testing positive for a diuretic. He returned to action December 17.

#Ayton, who had averaged 16.3 points and 10.3 rebounds in 30.7 minutes in 71 games as a rookie, pushed his numbers up to 19.0 points, 12.0 rebounds, 1.7 blocks, 1.9 assists and 0.7 steals per game in 32.3 minutes in the 30 games he played up to the break in the league in March.

Phoenix Suns centre Deandre Ayton (22) looks to pass against the Dallas Mavericks during the second half on Sunday. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, Pool)

As of Tuesday, August 4, 2020

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#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#Deandre Ayton got his Phoenix Suns off to a hot start while “Buddy” Hield and the Sacramento Kings struggled early on the opening weekend of the NBA restart in Orlando, Florida.

#The Suns are off to a 2-0 start at the NBA clean site after coming in with the worst record among Western Conference teams in Orlando, while the Kings are on the opposite end of the spectrum winless at 0-2 thus far.

#The Suns are now 28-39, 0.5 game behind the Kings at 28-38. Both teams return to the court tomorrow when the Suns take on the LA Clippers at 4pm and the Kings face the Dallas Mavericks at 2pm.

#Ayton played just 21 foul plagued minutes and finished with seven points and eight rebounds in the Suns’ 117-115 win over the Mavericks Sunday night.

#“It was a great look for us to see what we’ve got, see what we can be. Us trying our best to see where we end up, trying to compete every game. We’re just going to go game by game, not settling for mediocre,” Ayton said.

#Despite the loss, the Mavericks clinched a playoff spot with the Memphis Grizzlies loss to the San Antonio Spurs. It will be their first postseason appearance since 2016.

#In game one, Ayton finished with a double double – 24 points, 12 rebounds – and made the first official three-point field goals of his career in a regular season game. He shot an efficient 11-14 from the field and 2-3 from three-point range.

#“Like I just told them, this is what I wanted to experience in this bubble was something like this where we just had our backs against the wall and across the board we got efforts from everybody,” Suns head coach Monty Williams said. “I was just wanting them to experience something like that so we can grow as a team.”

#The Kings suffered a lopsided 132-116 loss to the Orlando Magic on Sunday. Hield went for 12 points on 5-13 shooting from the field and 2-7 from three-point range. He also added five assists in 20 minutes but also committed three turnovers.

#The Kings suffered a 129-120 loss to the San Antonio Spurs in their Orlando opener on Friday.

#He scored just six points on 2-13 shooting from the field, 1-8 from the field three while adding four rebounds, an assist and a steal in 20 minutes off the bench. “We’re in uncharted territory right now,” Kings head coach Luke Walton said following the loss.

#“The season stopped, we’re in a bubble, we played in this high-energy, high-intensity opening game that both teams need. We end up coming out on the losing side of it. And like a team that isn’t there yet, hasn’t made it, doesn’t know what that’s like, as far as experience, now you’ve lost this big anticipated game and now you have a letdown.”

#As the Kings search for answers, Walton also told reporters that the starting lineup and rotation would be revisited. “We’ll look at it, as soon as I get back to the hotel and I get into the film,” he said. “That was disappointing. Disappointing to say the least.”

#In the race for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference, the No.8 Grizzlies are 32-35. Prior to Monday night’s games, the five teams behind – the Spurs (29-36), Trail Blazers (30-38), Pelicans (28-38), Kings (28-38) and Suns (28-39) are within two wins of each other.

#If the No.9 seed is more than four games behind the No.8 seed, No. 8 will make the playoffs. If they are fewer than four games behind, the teams will compete in a play-in tournament for the final spot.

#The Suns go on to face the Indiana Pacers (August 6), Miami Heat (August 8), Oklahoma City Thunder (August 10), Philadelphia 76ers (August 11) and the Mavericks for a second time (August 13).

#The remainder of the Kings’ schedule includes matchups against the New Orleans Pelicans (August 6), Brooklyn Nets (August 7), Houston Rockets (August 9), Pelicans (August 11), and Los Angeles Lakers (August 13).

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#THE Bahamian 1-2 punch of Deyton Albury and Garreth Edgecombe helped the Defenders 2020 to split their four games at the Phenom Challenge over the weekend in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

#The team, with Bahamian Jamal Smith as an assistant coach, played out of pool E where they finished with a 2-2 win-loss record in the four games they played at the Rock Hill Sports & Event Center.

#In their opener on Friday, they lost 79-76 to the Charlotte Royals 2021. They came back on Saturday to win their double header, 99-87 over Team Synergy 2021 and 73-70 in overtime against Team Durham 2021 before they fell 84-71 to the TLBA 2022 in their finale on Sunday.

#Smith, who formerly coached both Albury and Edgecombe, both 18 years old, when they played for the Temple Christian Suns, said both players played extremely well despite encountering some minor injuries.

#Edgecombe, a 6-foot, 3-inch forward, had a left elbow injury in their second game, while Albury, a 6-2 guard, went down with an right ankle injury in their last game.

#“The competition level was definitely higher than the previous week,” Smith said. “In the first game, I felt we didn’t match the energy of our opponents, but in the next two games, we stepped it up.

#“Overall, with their performances, I would say that each and every game they got better with their performances. The work that they are putting in during practice and watching and studying the films is paying off. The work they do on their own to manage their presence on the court has helped them tremendously.”

#Albury, producing his best game with 30 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, said this was probably the toughest tournament they played in so far. “It was a good weekend. We had a lot of exposure and stuff like that,” said Albury, who just recently graduated from Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kansas where he starred in basketball and football after he left Temple Christian two years ago.

#“Most of the division one players were around my position so it was good to match up against them. Although you are playing against them, it’s still good to learn from them and what to do in certain situations when you get to the division one level.”

#In his best game where he came up with 10 points in their second game as well, when he suffered the injury, Edgecombe said if he hadn’t suffered the injury, he could have done better.

#“I still felt we did good even though we both had some injuries that held us back from performing 100 per cent,” said Edgecombe, a graduate of Galilee Academy.

#“Although we pushed through it, I felt we did very good. I feel like the most we play as a team, the better we get. We have one more tournament coming up, so I feel like the way we are playing, we should do very well.”

#The Defenders, who have been playing in the AAU Tournaments since July, will have this week off before they play in their final showcase next weekend in the Big Shots Summer Classic in South Carolina.

#“The following weekend, schools are expected to open so you will see a lot of these players for the final time next weekend as they prepare to transit to their respective schools,” Smith said.

#“So I expect this to be a very competitive event that will be watched by a number of collegiate coaches from division one and two as well as junior colleges. I believe the recruitment for both Deyton and Garrett will just shoot off.”

#Smith said Albury has already received offers from three division one schools, but they are still looking at all of their options as to where he will end up in 2021 after he plays, along with Edgecombe, in a prep college programme this year.

#As for the protocol measures taken for the coronavirus, Edgecombe said he’s pleased with the way the organisers have ensured their safety. “They are taking precautions by marking out where people can sit, they make sure everybody has on their masks and they sanitise all of the doors,” he said. “I feel very secure with the measures they are using.”

#And Albury agreed that the protocol measures are strictly adhered to. “After every game, we have to sanitise our hands and we have to walk around with our masks on,” he stated. “After games, you don’t get to handshake anymore, so that is something too that we have to deal with.”

#Both noted that they are living out their dreams of playing basketball, even if it is under some adverse conditions in the new norm as sports slowly makes it way back after taking a break in March due to Covid-19.

Tuesday, August 4, 2020

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#THE Florida Gulf Coast Eagles are excited to add Franco Miller Jr to their programme and look forward to the incoming transfer combo guard to have an impact whenever he steps on the floor.

#Eagles head coach Michael Fly discussed several issues, including Miller’s recruitment process amid the COVID-19 pandemic

#“There’s a recruiting ban on guys right now and for the foreseeable future. We weren’t able to truly scout [Franco] in a traditional way. We watched all the high school tape we could. Actually, coach Davis’ staff at Ole Miss sent us practice tape of him so we could evaluate him more. They were extremely complimentary of him on and off the court. We do a lot of our recruiting based on connections we have made and continue to make and we have a great relationship with his prep school and Coach Davis‘ staff,” Fly told Screecher Report in their Summer Flyer/Fresh Faces Series.

#“We are excited to add a student and player of Franco’s calibre to our programme. He is an experienced guard who can play the point guard position or slide over to the wing as a scorer.”

#Miller’s tenure with the Ole Miss Rebels came in March when he announced he would be leaving the programme. He will have three years of eligibility remaining in his NCAA career. “The three years of eligibility was huge for us. We were looking at other transfers who had one year as well but Franco having three was a factor. We think it gives him time to join the programme and get his feet wet and really contribute in big ways over the course of his time with us. His addition should strengthen our backcourt for the foreseeable future in combination with our other newcomers and young players.” Fly said.

#“We think he can play both positions (PG & SG/Wing). In high school he was a scoring combo guard and we think he can get back to that. He’s got a pure shooting form. We’ll see, when we get the guys back [on campus], how he does with the ball in his hands and taking charge of the offence vs how he does without it.”

#According to the Eagles, Miller becomes the 6th newcomer for the Eagles roster heading into the 2020-21 season, joining four early signees and one graduate transfer. Eagles will return 70 per cent of its scoring back in the line-up along with seven players who saw significant action in 25-or-more games during the 2019-20 season.

#“We’re finally at a place, from a roster standpoint, where we could have Jalen [Warren], Caleb [Catto], Cyrus [Largie], Sam [Gagliardi] and Justus [Rainwater] start for us and they would all be starters from last year. But we like what our newcomers bring to the table,” Fly said. “We think Eli [Abaev] can contribute right away for us and we like the new guys we got coming in and we like our returning players. It’s safe to say that there will be a lot of competition in a lot of different areas.”

Phoenix Suns center DeAndre Ayton (22) looks for an open teammate as Los Angeles Clippers’ Marcus Morris Sr., right, defends during an NBA basketball game on Tuesday, Aug. 4, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The Suns won the game, 117-115, on a buzzer-beating shot from Devin Booker.August 5, 2020Simba French0148Views

It continues to be a tale of two stories for the two Bahamians in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

DeAndre Ayton and the Phoenix Suns continued their torrid start to the NBA restart yesterday, taking down the playoff-bound Los Angeles Clippers on a dramatic buzzer-beating shot from star guard Devin Booker, while Chavano “Buddy” Hield and the Sacramento Kings fell to the Dallas Mavericks in overtime.

The Suns recorded their third straight victory in the NBA restart as they took down the Clippers, 117-115, on a turnaround jumper from Booker as time expired. They improved to a 29-39 win/loss record and are now just three games behind the eighth place Memphis Grizzlies (32-36), and one game behind the ninth-place Portland Trailblazers (30-38) in the Western Conference of the NBA. The result of the Blazers and Houston Rockets’ game last night was unavailable up to press time. The Suns occupy the 12th spot in the standings, and need to be in the top nine to give themselves a chance at making the postseason. If they are ninth and are within four games of the eighth spot, they will play an in-house tournament against that eighth-seeded team. As for Hield and the Kings, they lost their third straight game of the NBA restart, falling to the Mavericks 114-110, in overtime, yesterday. All of the games are played at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida.

Booker was fantastic for the Suns yesterday, dropping in a game-high 35 points on 13-for-25 shooting including 6-of-9 from downtown. He added four rebounds and eight assists. Ayton was strong with 19 points on 9-for-18 shooting for the Suns, and continues to show the outside touch as he had a three-point shot in two attempts. He contributed seven rebounds and four assists. Point guard Ricky Rubio added 18 points, and Dario Saric and Cameron Payne scored 13 and 12 respectively off the bench.

Kawhi Leonard paced the Clippers with 27 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Paul George added 23 points, six rebounds and five assists. Ivica Zubac contributed 18 points and 12 rebounds, and Marcus Morris Sr. dropped in 16 points.

The upstart Suns controlled the pace for much of the game, but behind Leonard and George, the Clippers executed a late comeback. They trailed by as much as eight in the fourth before coming back to even the score three times in the final two minutes of play. Every time they pulled even, the Suns had an answer, culminated by Booker’s game-winning shot in the final seconds. Leonard scored eight of his 27 in the fourth and George sank six of his 23 in the fourth.

Ayton played a part in that last sequence for the Suns, getting his hands on an attempted pass from Zubac and deflecting it to a teammate with just eight seconds remaining. The ball ended up in the hands of Booker who masterfully worked the clock down before connecting on a turnaround jumper at the buzzer.

The Suns are now very much in playoff contention, but things are getting tight in the bubble as the bottom five teams in the west, ninth through 13th, are separated by just a game and a half in the standings. In the mix are Hield and the Kings, despite dropping three in a row. They are 13th with a 28-39 record.

Hield and the Kings played much better in their game against the Mavericks on Tuesday than they did in their previous two games in the bubble, but still suffered the same result.

The Bahamian sharp shooter found his touch late, dropping in 21 points on 8-for-20 shooting including 5-for-14 from downtown for the Kings. He had a pair of three-point shots and eight points in total for the Kings in the overtime session but it wasn’t enough as Luka Dončić and the Mavericks built a seven-point lead twice in the extra session and never looked back.

Speedy point guard De’Aaron Fox led the way for the Kings with 28 points, three rebounds and nine assists. Hield added 21 and Kent Bazemore scored 16. Nemanja Bjelica had 12 points and 13 rebounds for the Kings.

Dončić had a massive game with 34 points, 20 rebounds and 12 assists for the Mavericks. Kristaps Porzingis added 22 points and seven rebounds. Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 22 points and added five rebounds, and Dorian Finney-Smith contributed a huge double-double with 16 points and 16 rebounds.

The Mavericks led for just 51 seconds in all of regulation but took over in the extra session, building a seven-point lead twice. Hardaway scored six points in the extra session for the Mavericks and Finney-Smith added five. Trey Burke hit a pair of free shots with 4.4 seconds remaining in overtime to give the Mavericks a 114-110 lead. Hield missed a three-point shot at the buzzer but it wouldn’t have made a difference in the final result.

Both the Suns and Kings will be back in action on Thursday. The Kings will take on Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans at 1:30 p.m., and the Suns will battle the Indiana Pacers at 4 p.m.

Bahamian basketball players Deyton Albury, left, and Gareth Edgecombe both got injured playing in the Phenom Challenge in Rock Hill, South Carolina, this past weekend. The Defenders finished with a 2-2 win/loss record over a three-day period. JAMMAL SMITHAugust 5, 2020Simba French0163Views

It was a tough weekend for Bahamian junior basketball players Deyton Albury and Gareth Edgecombe this past weekend as they both battled injury playing in the Phenom Challenge in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

Although both got injured, the Defenders finished with a 2-2 win/loss record over a three-day period. Head Coach of the Defenders Bahamian Jammal Smith said they performed well although they battled injuries.

“I will say, this weekend the boys performed well,” Smith said. “Little injuries hampered what they can do on the court. I feel that the boys are comfortable with the competition and they take advantage of their match-up and start to see intensity and physicality game in and game out.”

On Saturday, Albury turned in a triple-double performance in a 99-91 shootout victory against Team Synergy. He finished the game with 30 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. He was outstanding.

For his sensational play on the floor, the guard was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the 17-and-under category.

“I’m very happy. It’s a privilege to be named MVP over many of the tough players in my category,” Albury said.

He added that the weekend was good and competitive with a lot of high-level action. Albury finished the weekend averaging 19 points, eight assists and seven rebounds per contest. He injured his ankle in the final game on Sunday, a 84-71 loss against TLBA.

In the game against Team Synergy, Edgecombe suffered an elbow injury and was limited on the court.

“It was not my best due to an injury sustained in the second game against Team Synergy where I hurt my elbow. From a team standpoint, I could have given more on the floor but as an individual, I am just trying to get better with my skills,” Edgecombe said.

He was able to finish the weekend averaging 10 points and five rebounds. It is a stat line that does not reflect his usual play.

“I plan on getting healthy, work on my skills and help my team out on both sides of the floor as a productive player,” Edgecombe said.

The forward said he will use the break to rest his elbow, and make sure it is healed before he steps back on the court.

On Friday, the Charlotte Royals took down the Defenders 79-76. In their second game, on Saturday, the Defenders took care of the Durham Hurricanes, 73-70.

The Bahamian duo have collegiate eyes on them now. Albury, in particular, is drawing interest from at least five programs.

The Defenders will have this coming weekend off and hopefully heal up before playing in the Big Shots Summer Classic in Charleston, South Carolina, from August 14 to 16.

The Big Shots Summer Classic will be the last tournament for them this summer. Smith said after that tournament, Edgecombe and Albury will focus on skill training and development until they return to The Bahamas.