EL SEGUNDO – The South Bay Lakers won a shootout with the visiting Memphis Hustle, 137-132, on Sunday night behind a career-high 29 points from Travis Wear. The Lakers (12-4) had seven players score in double digits, including 26 points from Ivica Zubac and 19 points and a career-high 13 assists from Alex Caruso, as they grabbed their twelfth win of the season. Memphis (7-10) was led by Grizzlies-assignee Ivan Rabb who grabbed a double-double with 23 points and 16 rebounds.
South Bay got out to a 36-31 lead after the first quarter thanks to 13 early points for Wear and 10 from Zubac. Memphis took a 69-61 lead into the half as Omari Johnson scored 10 points in the second and Rabb had a double-double (14 points, 12 rebounds) in the first half alone.
Wear continued his hot shooting in the third quarter as he hit all three of his triples and scored 14 points in the frame. Vander Blue also found his shot in the third as he scored 12 points in the period. The duo led South Bay to a 100-95 lead through three. Caruso got going in the fourth quarter with 11 points to close out the win.
The Hustle’s starting five all scored in double figures, led by Rabb’s double-double and 26 points, six rebounds and four assists from Johnson. Marquis Teague (25 points, eight assists), Durand Scott (22 points, six rebounds, four assists) and Trahson Burrell (17 points, 5-8 from three) helped lead Memphis’s scoring barrage.
Wear’s career-night (29 points, four rebounds, four assists, three steals) guided the Lakers to the victory while Zubac (26 points, nine rebounds) and Caruso (19 points, four rebounds, 13 assists) contributed solid all-around performances as well. Scott Machado added a double-double (10 points, 10 assists), while Blue pitched in 20 points of his own. Stephaun Branch (11 points, seven rebounds) and Andre Ingram (10 points) also scored in double digits for South Bay.
The South Bay Lakers will now travel on their longest road trip of the season as they tackle four games across 10 days. South Bay’s first game on this trip will be on Tuesday, December 19 against the Delaware 87ers at 8:00 a.m. PST from the Wells Fargo Center, the home of the Philadelphia 76ers.
The NBA G League’s South Bay Lakers, the first franchise in G League history to be owned by an NBA team (Los Angeles Lakers), returns for its 11th season of competition in 2017-18. The Lakers franchise has established itself as a top producer of NBA-ready talent, totaling 26 NBA Call-Ups and developing 19 Lakers assignment players since the inaugural 2006-07 season. Last season, the Lakers returned to the playoffs for the third time in the last four years and produced the league MVP in guard Vander Blue. The Lakers have claimed three division titles and have twice competed in the NBA G League Finals, most recently in 2015-16.