The G League’s OKC Blue failed to hit the go-ahead bucket or force overtime in their 114-110 loss to the Texas Legends on Saturday. The loss drops the Blue’s record to 1-1 on the season.
Possessing a 110-108 lead with 1:11 left, the Blue committed a pair of critical mistakes as two fouls resulted in four consecutive free throws for the Legends. The four made free throws resulted in the Legends owning a two-point lead with 14.6 seconds left.
With a chance to either tie or win the game, Jahmi’us Ramsey’s drive was abruptly stopped and resulted in a blocked shot attempt. The ball went out of bounds, which gave the Blue another chance but alas, an inbound pass turnover was the dagger in the four-point loss.
The loss results in the Blue splitting their season-opening road back-to-back against the Legends. OKC won the first matchup on Friday.
After trailing 27-16 following the first quarter, a strong second quarter helped the Blue make it a 54-53 halftime deficit. The Legends added to their lead in the third quarter as they entered the final frame with a nine-point lead.
The Blue proceeded to go on an 18-2 run in the fourth quarter to retake the lead. The massive run helped give the Blue a 105-101 lead with 2:27 left.
It appeared the Blue were going to escape with an impressive road win. Instead, the Legends finished the game on a 13-5 run in the final two minutes.
The Blue shot 44% from the field and went 14-of-39 (36%) from 3. The Legends shot 38% from the field and went 16-of-52 (31%) from 3.
Ball security was the biggest difference in this game as the Blue committed 21 turnovers, which helped the Legends attempt 10 more shots.
Some notable individual performances for both sides include:
- Keyontae Johnson: 14 points on 5-of-11 shooting, 10 rebounds
- Jahmi’us Ramsey: 28 points on 11-of-17 shooting, seven rebounds, six assists
- Hunter Maldonado: 19 points on 6-of-13 shooting, 2-of-7 from 3, six rebounds
- Miller Kopp: 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting, 4-of-8 from 3
- Olivier-Maxence Prosper: 19 points on 6-of-20 shooting, 3-of-10 from 3, nine rebounds, four assists
- A.J. Lawson: 26 points on 9-of-16 shooting, 4-of-8 from 3, seven rebounds
- Theo Pinson: 18 points on 5-of-10 shooting, four assists, four rebounds
The full highlights from the Blue’s four-point loss to the Dallas Mavericks’ G League affiliate can be watched here:
