BIG3 Basketball is headed down the stretch as we hit crunch time with three more weeks left on the regular season. As we head into week 6, there are two one-loss teams, three teams with a record of 3-2, six teams with a record of 2-3, and one team with only one win on the season. Every game from here on out is important for these teams as the standings stay close late in the season. While all six games this week are huge, there are a few in particular that highlight these set of matchups.
BIG3 Basketball: Top Week 6 Matchups
Triplets (2-3) vs Ghost Ballers (2-3) (Saturday)
Two weeks into the season, we didn’t think these pair of teams would be headed into this matchup against each other under .500 but here we are. Both the Triplets and the Ghost Ballers were undefeated at 2-0 and it looked like they might be the early favorites to compete for the BIG3 Championship. Things started going downhill from there and now both teams sit at 2-3 after losing three consecutive games.
The Triplets were without the back-to-back MVP Joe Johnson for the second straight week but yet again showed a lot of fight. Three of their four players scored in double-digits and filled the stat sheet across the board. Ryan Hollins scored 14 points and had eight rebounds while the Pargo brothers had 12 points a piece but it wasn’t enough to stop a lethal opponent in the 3-Headed Monsters. Losing Johnson didn’t help at all, even though one of their losses during this stretch came with him in the lineup. This team has been fighting hard without him and hopefully, they get the potential three-peat MVP candidate back in week 6.
As mentioned, the Ghost Ballers have had a similar fate as of late, losing three consecutive games. The only difference was that they got blown out last week against a one-win team in 3’s Company, losing 50-36. In a very rare occurrence, the duo of Mike Taylor and Chris Johnson had their worst scoring performance of the season. Both came into last week’s contest scoring 16+ points per game but only tallied seven and six points respectively. After scoring only 3 points in week 5, Jermain Taylor put up a huge performance in their last game as he scored 21 points while hitting an impressive five three-pointers.
Despite the mid-season falters, this matchup is still a must-watch game as both teams are looking to re-light the spark they had through the first two weeks of the season. To add even more to this game, 2019 BIG3 Champion Sergerio Gipson will return to the Triplets. For our viewing pleasure, it would be ideal if the duo of Taylor and Johnson showed up for the Ghost Ballers and Iso Joe came back and lit the world on fire for the Triplets.
Tri State (3-2) vs 3 Headed Monsters (4-1) (Sunday)
Tri State went into last week with only one loss on the season and looked primed to finish on top of the standings yet again. They still have a good shot at doing that but they took a step back with a tough 51-46 loss to Trilogy. Tri State led by ten at the half and got a great game out of Jason Richardson, who had 17 points and eight rebounds with Justin Dentmon chipping in 14 points.
This team tallied five total steals and two blocks but it wasn’t enough to stop Trilogy’s comeback train, led by Isaiah Briscoe‘s 27 points. Tri State will have to get a big bounce-back performance from DaJuan Summers if they want to get past a first-place team.
Tied for first in the BIG3 with a 4-1 record, the 3-Headed Monsters look to continue their dominance in week 6. Kevin Murphy has led this team in scoring every week this season and the last game was no different. He scored 22 points to go along with four rebounds and four assists. In fact, Murphy leads the whole league with 25.2 points per game (126 total points).
For the second straight week, Quincy Miller contributed a 20-point game, scoring 21 this week. With Miller heating up and Murphy most certainly leading the MVP race, the 3-Headed Monsters could have all the pieces to finally get over the hump and win the BIG3 Championship.
Power (2-3) vs Aliens (4-1) (Sunday)
This is a huge game for both teams as Power tries to get back to .500 while the Aliens try and stay atop the standings with only one loss. Power is coming off of a seven-point loss to a then one-win Bivouac team. Glen Rice Jr lead the team with 14 points but he was the only one to score double digits. Royce White put together a solid performance as he almost had a triple-double with eight points, nine assists, and nine rebounds. Everyone chipped in on the stat sheet but it wasn’t enough to stop the duo of Gerald Green and Eric Brewer. Heading into this matchup, Power will have to stop more than just a duo.
The Aliens might have the best roster in the BIG3 with multiple players contributing throughout the season. Last week was no different with three players scoring in double-digits for the third straight game. Deshawn Stephens followed up a huge 19-point, 19 rebound game with an 18-point, seven-rebound game against the Ball Hogs and paid dividends on defense with two blocks and a steal.
Dusan Bulut had a complete game with 15 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists with a steal and a block. Tomislav Ivosev also followed up a double-double in week four with 12 points and nine rebounds to go along with two steals and two blocks last week. Karlis Lasmanis is also a huge part of this team and even though he didn’t have his best game, he did enough and has been a huge part of this team throughout the season. Both the Aliens and Power lead the league in rebounds and assists so we’ll see these two teams share the ball and get physical on the glass.
Other Matchups
Bivouac (2-3) vs Killer 3’s (3-2) (Saturday)
Enemies (2-3) vs Trilogy (3-2) (Saturday)
Ball Hogs (1-4) vs 3’s Company (2-3) (Sunday)
