The two teams kept pace with each other and had six lead changes and nine ties until Los Angeles went on a 21-5 scoring run in the third quarter.
In this Jan. 5, 2012 file photo, Springfield Armor's JamesOn Curry (24) puts a move on Erie Bay Hawks Devin Green (22) as Curry drives to the basket in first half action at the MassMutual Center in Springfield. Curry scored 19 points and had nine assists in Monday's loss against the Los Angeles D-Fenders in the 2012 D-League Showcase at the Reno Events Center in Reno, Nevada.By KYLE LEATH
RENO, Nev. – The Springfield Armor fell below the .500 mark for the first time since opening the season with a loss as they were defeated by the Los Angeles D-Fenders 97-82 on the first day of the 2012 D-League Showcase at Reno Events Center.
Springfield (8-9) could not find an answer for Los Angeles forward Brandon Costner who had 29 points, including four 3-pointers. Costner is the D-League’s 4th leading scorer, coming into the game averaging 24.4 points.
“He (Costner) is a heck of a player,” Springfield Bob MacKinnon said. “It is tough to play him because he can step out and shoot it in addition to his strength and talent at the basket.”
“They have a lot of weapons on the offensive end,” MacKinnon said of the D-Fenders. “You have to be able to keep pace with them and score to have a chance to beat them.”
The game was the only meeting between the two teams during the regular season. Los Angeles jumped out to an early lead behind Costner, but a Josh Smith 3-pointer, with 4:08 to play before the half, gave Springfield its first lead of the day at 40-38. From there, the game stayed close with six lead changes and nine ties until late in the third quarter.
After L.D. Williams (19 points, nine rebounds) tied the game at 68-68 with 2:08 to play in the third quarter, Los Angeles went on a 21-5 run over the next eight minutes to build an 89-73 lead and put the game out of reach. Springfield was 1 of 10 from the field and had five turnovers during the span of the run. The Armor were held to 11 points in the fourth
“We just lost our rhythm and went ice cold,” MacKinnon said. “Too many missed shots at the rim, we have to finish those to be successful.”
JamesOn Curry had another impressive outing, equaling Williams with 19 points and dishing out nine assist. Center Jeff Foote added a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
“This is a neat event,” Footer, the former Cornell player said after the loss. “It would have been nice to come away with a win in front of the scouts and other teams here.”
This is the eighth year of the event which brings together all 16 D-League teams at one site. Over the four day event, each team will play two games with scouts and executives from the NBA and throughout the world. Over 150 players are on display and only players that are presently on assignment from NBA teams are “off-limits.”
According to the D-League website, Foote, Curry and Smith are three of the “players to watch” playing in the event.
With the win, Los Angeles moves to 14-6 on the season and currently sits in second place in the Western Conference behind Austin.
The Armor will wrap up their D-League Showcase appearance on Thursday when they take on Rio Grande Valley in a 6:30 tipoff.