OAKLAND – Austin traveled to the west coast to take on the Santa Cruz Warriors on Sunday night, seeking to win its fifth-straight G League contest.
With Derrick White (coach’s decision) and two-way player Darrun Hilliard (inactive) out, five Spurs players managed to reach double-digit scoring performances, including Jaron Blossomgame’s 11-point, 12-rebound effort en route to the come-from-behind victory in California.
| NBA G LEAGUE FINAL | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
| AUSTIN SPURS (20-12) | 22 | 29 | 23 | 31 | 105 |
| SANTA CRUZ WARRIORS (14-17) | 30 | 17 | 23 | 27 | 97 |
OFFICIAL BOX SCORE | GAME BOOK | ROSTER | SCHEDULE
THE BASICS
- How to Watch: Facebook Live – Austin Spurs Fan Page
- Score: Austin Spurs 105, Santa Cruz Warriors 97
- Records: Spurs (20-12) | Warriors (14-17)
- Date: Sunday, January 28 | 8:00 p.m. tip-off CST
- Location: ORACLE Arena| Oakland, CA
- Attendance: 15,228
- Officials: Randy Richardson, Tyler Mirkovich, Ashley Gilpin
- Get Social: Twitter – @spursonsixth| Facebook – Spurs on Sixth
TURNING POINT
Trailing by eight after just one quarter of play, it looked as though the home team might put on a show in front of a 15,000+ crowd. However, Austin outscored or tied the Warriors in each of the last three quarters for the 8-point victory.
Both Blossomgame and Nick Johnson managed to go scoreless in the first quarter, but that changed soon in the second.
Johnson added six points in the second quarter alone, while Blossomgame pitched in four including a nice dunk almost midway through the quarter as the Spurs took a four-point lead into the break.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Austin shot 45 percent (37-of-83) from the floor, while the Warriors were a little more efficient at 37-of-77 (48 percent) from the floor.
- The Spurs went 8-of-26 (31 percent) from beyond the arc in the 8-point victory and shot a sizzling 23-of-27 (85 percent) from the charity stripe. Santa Cruz, meanwhile, was 5-of-16 (31 percent) from downtown and went 18-for-26 (69 percent) from the free throw line.
- The Warriors only managed 33 rebounds as a unit, while Austin recorded 47 boards collectively.
- Both teams finished with an identical 25 assists on the night, but the Spurs managed eight blocks while Santa Cruz finished with just four.
NOTABLES
- Arizona product Nick Johnson led the way for Austin; recording a team-best 21 points, five rebounds, five dimes, one steal, and sadly – five fouls in 37 minutes of action.
- Blossomgame notched another double-double on the year with his 12-board, 11-point performance on Sunday.
- Livio Jean-Charles tallied 18 points off the bench on 9-of-11 from the floor. He also added eight rebounds, two assists, and one steal in just 25 minutes of playing time.
- Duke alum Quin Cook led the way for the Warriors; scoring 28 points on 11-of-21 from the floor and 5-of-5 from the charity stripe. He also added a game-high nine dimes.
- With the win, the Spurs now have a 5-game win streak and a half game lead for tops in the G League Southwest Division. The Texas Legends, who have won eight of their last 10, sit at 19-12 and are right behind the Spurs.
UP NEXT
The Spurs stay out west on the road as they take on the Reno Bighorns on Monday night in a primetime showdown. Reno, who has won eight of its last 10 as well, looks for its second-straight victory after a 21-point win versus Northern Arizona on Saturday.
Tip-off from the Reno Events Center is slated for 10:00 PM ET.
