Springfield 100, Rio Grande Valley 99
Marcus Morris finished his assignment early, though there was no extra credit to be had.
RENO, NV --
Not quite two minutes into the first quarter of Rio Grande Valley’s matchup with Springfield, Morris, on assignment from the Houston Rockets, came down awkwardly after shooting a jumper. He limped off the floor with what appeared to be a sprained ankle.
Tough break for a player Houston selected with the 14th overall pick of the 2011 NBA Draft, and was hoping would get valuable playing experience at the 2012 NBA D-League Showcase.
Springfield (9-9) took advantage, building an 11-point lead at the half, before falling behind late in the fourth quarter and needing a Preston Knowles three-pointer with 5.6 seconds left to post a 100-99 win at the 2012 NBA D-League Showcase.
Rio Grande Valley (11-9) had seemingly sewn up victory after Ben Uzoh hit two free throws to give the Vipers a 99-96 lead with 15.9 seconds left in the game. Rio Grande Valley then committed a foul before Springfield had inbounded the ball, which resulted in a free throw for JamesOn Curry to cut the lead to 99-97, setting the stage for Knowles’ three-pointer.
Knowles finished with 14 points, shooting 4-for-6 from behind the arc. All five starters scored in double figures for Springfield, led by Damian Johnson’s18 points. Jeff Foote had a solid game in the middle, finishing with 16 points and seven rebounds.
Willie Warren, a 2010 second-round pick of the Los Angeles Clippers, went 15-for-16 from the free throw line and finished with a team high 17 points for the Vipers. Ben Uzoh, who spent his rookie season with the New Jersey Nets last year, added 16 points for Rio Grande Valley.
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