The Motor City Cruise had a chance to take part in the 2022 NBA G League Winter Showcase. They would get off to a solid start against the G League Ignite in the opening game at Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas.
It’s a Battle
We would start off with quite the defensive battle early on in this one. After both teams would get off to a slow start, the Ignite would put together a 10-5 run to gain some momentum. The Cruise would stay right in the ball game as they would put together an 8-0 run to end the opening quarter with a 19-17 lead. Big man Devontae Cacok put together a monster first quarter with 11 points to pace Motor City.
The second quarter would be an entirely different vibe in the game. Both teams would almost score at will as the teams battled back and forth. We would head into the half knotted at 45-45. Buddy Boeheim found his stroke in the quarter to knock down 3 three-pointers (9 points in the second).
Who Wants it More
Back and forth we would continue in the third quarter with both teams being able to get some solid offensive possessions. The Cruise would finally look to have the advantage as they would put together a solid 10-2 run to up their lead. The Ignite come right back to put together a 10-2 run of their own. ShawnDre Jones had a big quarter for the Cruise with 10 points to help Motor City hold a one-point advantage heading to the final quarter.
Something would finally break in the final twelve minutes as the Cruise would put together quite possibly their best quarter of the season. Motor City would go on a big 14-5 run, and that would be all she wrote as they would get it done on both ends of the floor in crunch time. The bunch from the Motor City would grab this one 96-88. Stanley Umude led the Cruise in the quarter to help secure the win with 8 points down the stretch.
The Numbers
Cameron Young led the way with 18 points and 5 rebounds off the bench for the Ignite. Young France native, Sidy Cissoko, put together a fine effort with 14 points. John Jenkins had himself a nice night knocking down 3 three-pointers en route to 13 points.
London Johnson finished with 13 points and 2 blocks. Veteran Pooh Jeter put together 8 points.
Devontae Cacok is back for the Cruise, and made his presence known. He lead Motor City on the night with 19 points, 12 rebounds and 2 steals. Buddy Boeheim would get loose to knock down 5 three-pointers, finishing with 15 points and 2 steals.
Stanley Umude came up big late for the team to finish with 12 points and 5 rebounds. ShawnDre Jones put in 12 points and dished out 6 assists. David Nwaba will provide a veteran presence for the team, and it showed in this one. In his first game with the team, he would put together a 10-point rebound effort off the Cruise bench.
Next Up
The Ignite would go on to play the Greensboro Swarm on Thursday, falling 90-109. With the two losses in the Showcase for the Ignite, they will move to 4-13 on the season before their next game with the Ontario Clippers.
The Cruise would have a chance to take on the Memphis Hustle in their second game in Vegas for the Winter League Showcase. Motor City would be looking for their first back-to-back wins of the season.
A Not-so-Ideal Start
This one would not start the way they wanted for the Cruise, especially on the defensive end. Their offense would keep them in it, but Motor City would be looking at a 23-33 deficit after one quarter of play. Jake LaRavia (8 points) and Kenneth Lofton (9 points) would be hard to contain for Memphis. Stanley Umude got off to a solid start for the Cruise with 7 points in the quarter.
A tough start for Motor City would get even tougher in the second quarter. Memphis would put together a big 13-4 run to grab a nice lead heading into the half. The Hustle were led by Lofton with 7 points in the quarter, helping his team hold a 60-37 lead at the break.
Offensive Explosion
But the Cruise would battle back in this one led by an explosion in the third quarter. Showing their fortitude, Motor City would claw themselves right back in the game by going on a 14-5 run midway through the third quarter. The Cruise would make it interesting, trimming the lead to just 79-87 headed to the final quarter. Lofton led the way again for the Hustle again with 12 points in the quarter. Braxton Key and David Nwaba helped the Cruise, scoring 10 points apiece to pace their team.
Motor City would continue to battle, but a 14-8 run for the Hustle would all but end the comeback attempt. Memphis would cruise the rest of the way to take this one, 112-100. Kennedy Chandler and LaRavia helped put a stalwart to the comeback attempt by combining for 14 of the Memphis 25 points in the final quarter.
The Numbers
Kenneth Lofton was nearly unstoppable in this one putting up a monster line with 31 points, 12 rebounds and 7 assists. Jake LaRavia was big from deep, knocking down 4 three-pointers to put up 20 points. He would add 2 steals on the defensive side.
Dakota Mathias, the sharpshooter out of Purdue, added 13 points and 2 steals. Kennedy Chandler put up a great all-around stat line with 12 points, 8 assists and 5 rebounds. Damien Jefferson was big in limited minutes, putting up 11 points. Vince Williams Jr, Matt Hurt, and Justin Bean combined for 27 points.
Stanley Umude was a problem all night as he picked up 18 points, 8 rebounds and 3 steals in the game. Keifer Sykes put together his best game since a return from injury with 18 points and 7 assists.
David Nwaba was one of the big parts of the Cruise getting back into the game as he added 16 points and 7 rebounds. Devontae Cacok had another solid game with 12 points and 15 rebounds. Jaylen Johnson added a nice punch off the Motor City bench with 8 points and 2 steals. Jules Bernard helped in limited minutes with 5 points.
Next Up
With the 18-game Showcase Cup coming to a close, Memphis finishes that slate with an 11-7 record. Winning their last two games and being one of the hottest teams in the league, the Hustle will take on the South Bay Lakers on December 29. South Bay will head into that one as one of the teams playing its best basketball heading into the New Year.
Motor City will finish 4-14 during the Showcase Cup. They will look to see if they can put some things together when they take on Capital City to begin a 32-game regular season slate. Capital City finishes 9-9 during Cup play but will come in with some confidence winning two straight games.
