BIG3 Week 4: Philly Recap

The BIG3’s first appearance in Philadelphia generated a whole lot of buzz and excitement, thanks in large part to the return of hometown legends Allen Iverson and Julius Erving. Though Iverson, player coach and captain of 3’s Company, and Erving, coach of Tri-State, were only present from the sidelines, their Game 4 matchup kept people in anticipation until the very end.

There were some notable performances by Rashard Lewis (30 points, single game record), Rashad McCants (20 points, 8-9 shooting), and Lee Nailon (18 points, plus a first win for Tri-State), but we know you came here for the former-Clippers scoop. So let’s take a Clippers-centric look at each of the week’s four matchups.

Game 1: Power 51, Ghost Ballers 44

Both teams came into the week seeking their 3rd win of the season, pretty evenly matched. Power came away handily with a win, mostly thanks to a stellar performance from Cuttino Mobley. Mobley finished the game with 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists, shooting 8-of-19 from the field and 2-of-6 from behind the arc.

Ricky Davis led the Ghost Ballers in scoring and rebounding, but his 12 points and 3 boards were simply not enough to help carry his team to a win.

Game 2: Trilogy 50, Ball Hogs 43

The only former Clipper featured in Game 2 was Rasual Butler, who underwhelmed with only 5 points, 2 assists, and 1 rebound, shooting just 2-of-7 from the field and 1-of-5 from beyond the arc in a loss for the Ball Hogs. The hot shooting of undefeated Trilogy (62.5% from the field, 54.5% from behind the arc, and 1-1 4pt FG) was just too much to overcome.

Game 3: 3-Headed Monsters 51, Killer 3s 46

Once again, Stephen Jackson led the way for Killer 3s, this time with 24 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists, shooting 5-of-8 from the field and 2-of-3 from behind the arc, along with 1 4-point field goal. Jackson accounted for more than half of Killer 3s’ total points, getting 10 points and 9 rebounds from teammate Reggie Evans, along with 8 points and 6 boards from Brian Cook. Despite the aggressive play of Killer 3s, they could not keep up with the higher-volume shooting of 3-Headed Monsters (+12 shots attempted).

Game 4: Tri-State 51, 3’s Company 44

This was the long-awaited matchup of the night, with 3’s Company entering the week as the favorites against then-winless Tri-State. Al Thornton led the way for 3’s Company with 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 assist, shooting 8-of-16 from the field. Despite heroics of Thornton, however, Tri-State would prevail behind a balanced scoring effort, superior rebounding (+8), and solid ball movement (8 assists on 21 made field goals), and most importantly, giving them their first win of the season.

Week 5’s games will take place at UIC Pavilion in Chicago, IL on Sunday July, 23rd. Game 1 will tip off at 2:00pm (EST). For those who cannot watch in-person, follow real-time updates from the BIG3 here.

All BIG3 games will be broadcast the following night on Fox Sports 1 starting at 8:00pm (EST).