905 Outpace and Outhustle Memphis in 125-113 Win

This was a fast one.

Memphis came into this game as a top-three team in pace; the 905, top 10. This game had a pace of 107, which is faster than Rip City, the fastest team in the G.

The 905 closed their last game of January properly, and won all three quarters except their first. They trailed by 12 points in the first quarter, but after starting the second quarter on a 13-4 run, a Frank Kaminsky three forced a Hustle timeout. By halftime, the 905 trailed by two.

The three-point shooting was miraculous this game. The 905 shot 54%, 17-for-32. Coming into the game, they were bottom-four in three-points attempted per game (31.2) and shot it at a league-best 42%. They went 7-for-10 from downtown in the third quarter (four made corner 3s), and entered the fourth quarter tied at 96 apiece.

Though the game could have gone either way, there’s one big reason that contributed to the dub.

The Threat of Battle’s 3s

That is the mere threat of Battle’s three-point shooting. It helped keep the defence honest (for a classic deep dive into how the threat three-point shooting impacts defences, see here). Before the fourth quarter, Battle had hit only one triple. He knocked a trey ball early at the start of the final frame, and then used the gravity of his three-point shooting threat in the next play. He lifted up from the corner, off a Kaminsky pin down, and a mere head fake got two Hustle players off the ground. A quick dribble pull-up – nothing but nylon.

After a Mogbo threeball and what initially seemed like a foul drawn by Kaminsky was overturned, creating an early fourth quarter buzzkill. Memphis made it a three-point play and trailed by three points. But it was Battle who kept the party going by hitting another triple with a rearview contest, putting the 905 up six. Then, his end-of-the-shot-clock banker gave the 905 a 10-point buffer with 6:23 left on the clock. That wasn’t a comfortable lead by any means, but the 905 never let their lead get under seven, and walked away with a W after putting on an exciting, fast-paced game.

For Battle, offensive possessions in the G meant more expectations from him. In the NBA, Battle lifting from the corner might end in a simple catch-and-shoot 3. But, he gets to experiment here. In the first quarter, he drew out a closeout, and did everything right, driving to the lane except finishing. He made a pass from the lane that got stolen, but Rhoden helped recover it. He also had the ball picked away as he tried to showcase more of his handles. But being able to expand his game like this, and tinker, is what’ll make him even more valuable to the big club.

Mo’ gbo, Mo’ Money, Mo’ Threes

Speaking of experimentation, Mogbo hit three 3s this game. With the big club, he’s shot 8-for-25 from three (32%) and is averaging less than one attempt per game. Last night, his two made 3s in the final frame gave the 905 a six- and five-point buffer. Towards the end of the game, with the 905 up eight, he got a pass in the corner from Kaminsky after the latter rolled to the basket – it signified the utmost confidence from his teammates.

Mogbo also continued to get valuable offensive decision-making reps – though his decision-making may still be far from being 0.5 seconds, the G allowed him to practice making decisions. Before his last made triple, you could see him thinking on the floor, his offensive mind computing, to see whether throwing a post-entry pass into Chomche would work. He decided against it, got a boomerang pass back from Rhoden, and splashed the three ball from the top of the arc.

Similarly, in the third quarter, he thought about making the safe, easy pass into Kaminsky as the latter drew the double down low. Mogbo decided against it, took two dribbles in, got to the elbow, and fired a pass to the weakside corner to Lawson. That was an assist that led to one of four made corner 3s in the third quarter. 

By the way, one possession in the third quarter embodied why this is a 68.1% assist rate team. It started with Mogbo grabbing a board off a Memphis miss, initiating the transition offense that forced Memphis to scramble. The 905 swiftly got the ball down the court, it touched each players’ hands before it found Lawson in the corner, yet again, for another made corner 3.

Mogbo showed a lot of persistence this game, even when the outcome wasn’t there. He blew a layup, but then made the next shot attempt. From the wing, he stampeded a catch and drove to the basket, but got blocked. He thought about hoisting another 3, but instead, used a push dribble to attack the basket and missed. All of these were promising signs, though. You know, process over product as they say.

Bench Contributions

The 905 had bench contributions from Ulrich Chomche, Kennedy Chandler, and Jared Rhoden, who combined for 53 points (42% of the team’s total points).

The Chomche Watch continues to give hope. I noticed two solid pick-and-rolls he ran with Chandler in the first half. Chandler threw a nice lob pass into Chomche for an easy finish as soon as he subbed in the first frame. Chomche was setting picks all over the floor, and even got a nice tip-in off a missed 3 by Rhoden. When Chomche set another pick set for Chandler later in the quarter, Chandler’s defender couldn’t fight through the size of Chomche’s screen and confused the switch, letting Chandler draw a foul and get to the line.

Like Mogbo, Chomche, too, showed persistence on the offensive end. He blew a right-handed lay-up on the left side of the basket, but made up for it by making a nice hook shot over his left shoulder. Even when he got blocked, he still went up with it. In the second half, he had a nice push shot off an offensive rebound, which seems to becoming a trend. Defensively, he had a great three-point block on the left corner that led to Omoruyi hoisting a hail mary pass to the other end of the court for an easy two. That helped the 905 inch within one point.

Two things stood out to me as I re-watched the end of the fourth quarter. There was a transition offensive play where Hustle’s Miles Norris tried to exploit a mismatch against Kennedy Chandler. Despite being mismatched, Chandler didn’t let Norris get his way. His ability to stand his ground forced Norris to make a hasty decision to throw a pass out to the weakside corner, resulting in a turnover (even though Norris could have reversed it to the strong side as Rhoden came to dig). Chandler also had another key defensive play late in the stretch as the speedy Zyon Pullin came sprinting down the lane, but stripped the ball out of his hands and even drew a foul. 

Frank Kaminsky continued to draw doubles, hits 3s, and showed flashes of his point forward skills. Battle’s first three-pointer was off Faminsky drawing a double down low, Mogbo ducking in to act as a decoy, which freed up Battle in the weakside corner. Kaminsky’s most notable 3 was when he brought the ball up the court, set a pick on Gilyard, popped behind the arc, and made Memphis pay for its slow reaction by hitting another 3. Stretch five, baybee!

The 905 are the top beast of the East with a 10-4 record and face the Cruise in Motown this afternoon. Stream it here.

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