3-on-3 league begins with game-winners
DeShawn Stevenson nailed the shot, ran toward the sideline and slapped hands with Ice Cube. Stevenson had a winner, and Cube might, too.
The rapper-actor’s new 3-on-3 basketball league of former NBA players got off to a strong start Sunday, with the first two games decided on winning shots before 15,177 at Barclays Center in New York.
Entertainers including LL Cool J and NBA players including James Harden were in the crowd for the first two games before Allen Iverson, the main attraction among players, took the court following a concert for the third of four games on the day. He only played nine minutes but coached his 3’s Company to a 61-51 win over Ball Hogs.
“We’re excited to be here in the first weekend of the Big3,” said Hall of Famer Clyde Drexler, who coached Power to a 62-58 victory over Tri State in the second game on Stevenson’s three-pointer. “I think it’s going to be incredibly good. The games are exciting, the players are still talented and they’re fun to watch.”
Games are played to 60 points but teams have to win by two, and getting to 60 wasn’t enough in either of the first two games.
In the opener, Rashard Lewis made a threepoint play with his team facing game point as 3 Headed Monsters edged Ghost Ballers 62-60. In the final game, Al Harrington scored 25 points as Trilogy cruised to 60-45 win over Killer 3’s, who got 17 points from former Warrior Stephen Jackson.
Showing the risk of relying on players well past their primes, there were injuries in the first two games. Jason Williams, the flashy point guard nicknamed “White Chocolate,” went down with a right leg injury late in the opener, and Corey Maggette had to come out of the second game. Both were expected to be OK.
The eight-team league will play on 10 weekends, culminating with the Aug. 26 championship in Las Vegas.
In the WNBA, Karima Christmas-Kelly scored 24 points and the host Dallas Wings beat the Connecticut Sun 96-82 for their fourth win in a row. It’s been a streaky season for two teams who find themselves at .500. The Wings are 8-8, while the loss for the Sun (6-6) snapped a five-game winning streak . ... Tayler Hill scored 10 of her 17 points in the decisive second quarter and the Washington Mystics (8-5) had five players score in double figures in a a 97-63 rout at the Chicago Sky (3-10) . ... Sylvia Fowles and Maya Moore each scored 13 points in the fourth quarter and finished with 22 apiece as the host Minnesota Lynx beat the San Antonio Stars 87-78.
Sancho Lyttle scored 19 points and Alba Torrens added 18 to help Spain win the women’s EuroBasket tournament with a 71-55 victory over France.