Week one of the BIG3 Basketball season got underway last Saturday with several great matchups across the board. There were a lot of great performances from around the league and we even saw a glimpse of who some early MVP candidates might be. It’s easy to overact to what we saw in week one as there’s still a lot to try and figure out about these teams but week two should give a little more insight about who they are. It was a fun opening weekend and now gears are switched to yet another great week of matchups.
BIG3 Basketball: Top Week 2 Matchups
Tri State (0-1) vs 3’s Company (1-0) (Saturday, June 25th)
Week two of the BIG3 Basketball season kicks off with Tri State trying to get a rebound win against a gritty 3’s Company team. They’re coming off of a disappointing 15-point blowout loss to Power last Sunday. Tri State had three players in double digits, with Justin Dentmon leading with 13, but 10 fouls were committed and their defense had a hard time stopping the opponent’s attack. It was tough seeing their captain Jason Richardson out while being in health and safety protocols but “Dr. J” Julius Erving will be the first to tell you this team is capable of much more than they showed.
3’s Company will try to build upon a great week one performance by Michael Beasley, who scored 26 points in his BIG3 debut to earn him the Microsoft Player of the Week. They needed every bit of his performance to squeak past Bivouac by three points. The duo of Beasley and Mario Chalmers could be a formidable duo to watch throughout the season. Chalmers had a knack for clutch shots while in the NBA and he carried it over to the BIG3, as he hit the game-winning jump shot in route to 10 points, six rebounds, and five assists. All facets of this game will be interesting to watch both offensively and defensively.
Triplets (1-0) vs Aliens (1-0) (Saturday, June 25th)
Both teams head into this matchup on Saturday coming off a week one win. The Aliens had three players dip into double-digits, one of which was Dusan Bulut who had an impressive 22 points, seven assists, and five rebounds. Karlis Lasmanis was just as good as he chipped in 18 points and five rebounds. Holding the Enemies to only 15 points at the half was key in earning the victory but it won’t be easy against a skilled Triplets team.
The Triplets have just the guy to match up against Dusan Bulut with back-to-back MVP Joe Johnson. Judging by his performance in week one, Johnson is looking for the three-peat. He lead the league in scoring for week one with 30 points while also bringing down eight rebounds. It would be easy to just talk about Iso Joe but the Triplets also got a great 16 points out of Jeremy Pargo, who will be an intricate part of this team moving forward. It might be Triplets vs Aliens, but everyone will be paying attention to Johnson vs Bulut in possibly the best matchup of week two.
3 Headed Monsters (0-1) vs Power (1-0) (Sunday, June 26th)
The first game on Sunday will feature two teams with high hopes for the BIG3 Championship as the 3 Headed Monsters look to get on the winning track against Power. Even in the loss, the 3 Headed Monsters scored 50 points and showed that the offensive prowess is still there. Kevin Murphy had a tremendous game as he scored 28 points with Rashard Lewis putting up 18. Coach Reggie Theus and company had it in the bag but fell short in the last sequence. Despite the shortcoming, the 3 Headed Monsters should have a lot of confidence heading into week two.
It won’t be an easy task against Power, who knocked a tough Tri State team with ease. They selected Glen Rice Jr. with the first overall pick in the draft and it looked like the right decision. He was a finalist for the Microsoft Player of the Week as he scored 23 points while pulling down 6 boards. Not only was he impressive on offense but he was a lockdown defender in the paint. T.J. Cline also made his debut and chipped in with 16 points and a game-winner. With these two looking to take over and the leadership of Cuttino Mobley and head coach Nancy Lieberman, Power looks to keep riding the momentum into a tough game this week.
Remaining Games
Ghost Ballers vs Ball Hogs (Saturday, June 26th)
Enemies vs Bivouac (Sunday, June 26th)
Killer 3’s vs Trilogy (Sunday, June 26th)
