We officially hit the second half of the season this week in the BIG3 and these matchups are a great way to kick it off. MVP candidates and championship favorites are set to go head-to-head as all six games will fall on Sunday. As we head down the stretch of the regular season, games will start getting even more intense with teams fighting for position and trying to show what they’re capable of.
BIG3 Basketball: Top Week 5 Matchups
Triplets (2-2) vs 3 Headed Monsters (3-1)
After being one of two teams to start the season 2-0, the Triplets have dropped their last two and now sit at .500. Not only have they lost consecutive contests, but both losses came against teams heading into the week without a win. Joe Johnson missed his first ever BIG3 game last week. Just about everyone stepped up in his absence, as Jeremy Pargo and Alonzo Gee had double-doubles while Ryan Hollins tallied 12 points and 6 rebounds. It was a great sign to see a performance like this without the best player in the league, even in a loss, but the Triplets will desperately need him back this week against a championship favorite in the 3-Headed Monsters.
Ever since they lost in week one, the 3 Headed Monsters have rattled off three straight and have looked pretty good doing it. They’ve had great performances spread throughout the team but none have been bigger than what Kevin Murphy has provided. He followed up an impressive 30-point game in week three with a 23-point, eight-rebound game against the Enemies last week.
Murphy leads the league in points per game with 26. He wasn’t the only one to contribute to the win as Quincy Miller stepped up with 20 points and eight rebounds while draining three from downtown. With Murphy putting together an MVP-caliber season and getting help all around, the 3 Headed Monsters will be a tough team to stop headed down the stretch.
Killer 3’s (2-2) vs Enemies (2-2)
The Killer 3’s got back to .500 last week after escaping by two against a good Ghost Ballers team. Franklin Session and Donte Greene proved once again why they’re one of the most dynamic duos in the BIG3. Session put together an impressive double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds while adding six rebounds alongside Greene, who put up 23 points with five rebounds. Josh Powell snuck in a 10-points, six rebound game as well. The Killer 3’s have been inconsistent so far this season but have the roster to do so much more. If they can string together some wins, you might be looking at a real contender for the BIG3 Championship.
Much like the Killer 3’s, the Enemies are trying to find a rhythm of their own as we enter the second half of the season. They came into their week four matchup winning two in a row, including a dominant win over Power in week three but they just came up four points short of a three-game winning streak in their last game.
The Enemies had to adjust mid-season by losing Elijah Stewart to the NBA Summer League but newly acquired Jordan Crawford has filled in nicely. He scored 11 points in his season debut in week three and scored 17 points and brought down eight rebounds last week. Isaiah Austin also came up big with a double-double and added three blocks, leading the league in that category with 7 on the season. This is a huge matchup for both teams as they both fight for position in the standings and try to gain momentum headed forward.
Trilogy (2-2) vs Tri State (3-1)
Coming into the season, this matchup was circled on everyone’s calendar as the one to watch. Trilogy is coming off of another championship season while Tri State finished with the best record in the league last season and won the third-place game in the playoffs.
Trilogy is coming off of a lackluster performance against the Aliens last week. In their 50-41 loss, Earl Clark was magnificent with 19 points and nine rebounds to go along with three steals. He didn’t have much help as other than Isiah Briscoe scoring just 10 points, the rest of the team was nowhere to be found. This team can and has shown a lot more than what was on display last week and they’ll have to do that in this matchup.
Tri State finds themselves atop of the standings at 3-1 with a league-best +19 point differential. Like the 3 Headed Monsters, Tri State lost in week one but has put together three consecutive victories. In their six-point win against the Ball Bogs, three players had great performances across the stat sheet.
It all started with Dajuan Summers scoring 19 points (4 rebounds, 1 steal) while Jason Richardson put up 17 points (5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, 1 steal) and Justin Dentmon put up 14 (4 rebounds, 1 steal). This is the Tri State we expected to see headed into this season and they look to continue their success in the best matchup of week five.
Other Matchups
Aliens (3-1) vs Ball Hogs (1-3)
3’s Company (1-3) vs Ghost Ballers (2-2)
Power (2-2) vs Bivouac (2-3)
