With just five games remaining in the Showcase Cup portion of the 2023-24 schedule, the Birmingham Squadron is running out of chances to qualify for the Winter Showcase.
During a matinee on Friday at Legacy Arena, however, the New Orleans Pelicans’ G League affiliates got back in the hunt.
Malcolm Hill lit it up for a career-high 33 points and Tevian Jones contributed a double-double (16 points, 12 rebounds) as Birmingham snapped a four-game losing skid with a 109-90 victory over the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.
“We shot it pretty well from (3-point range), and we didn’t turn it over, which was huge,” Squadron boss T.J. Saint said. “Malcolm is who Malcolm is … one of the best vets I’ve ever been around. And Tevian is growing. He comes in every day, puts in the work, doesn’t complain, and he’s been like that since summer league. He’s got a bright, bright future.”
Saint’s team evens its record at 5-5 while the Houston Rockets farm club stands at 6-5.
Both teams are in the South Pod of the Showcase Cup and trail Mexico City and Osceola (7-4) and Oklahoma City (7-5) in the standings.
Izaiah Brockington netted 17 points for the winners, followed by Devin Cannady (15) and Jalen Crutcher (14).
UAB product Trey Jemison just missed a double-double with eight points and 16 rebounds.
“He’s a monster,” Saint said of Jemison, who also had five blocked shots. “We don’t win if he’s not here.”
Rockets assignment player Cam Whitmore was the top scorer for the Vipers, with Amen Thompson and Darius Days each scoring 14, Jermaine Samuels Jr. adding 12 and Jarrett Culver pumping in 10.
Although the Vipers outscored the Squadron 34-16 in the paint over the game’s first 24 minutes (and 64-38 overall), timely outside shooting helped make up the difference.
The score was knotted at 26-all after one – Hill already had seven points – and he added seven more in the second period to lead all scorers with 17 points.
Jones was flirting with a double-double by halftime (10 points, eight boards), and Jemison’s slam with :44 left in the quarter gave Birmingham a 50-49 edge at intermission.
The Squadron led by as many as 10 in the third quarter and looked poised to take control of the contest. However, the home team’s shooting cooled off and Rio Grande Valley continued to force the issue on the inside, and trailed only 82-79 entering the final stanza.
But Birmingham found its long-range groove again in the fourth and the Vipers – trying to make up ground from outside the arc – continued to miss the mark.
The hosts led 96-85 with 4:35 remaining and kept adding to their advantage from there, settling for a solid 19-point victory.
“We held the top scoring team in the league to 90 points,” Saint said. “I’m really proud of that.”
Hill said he just tried to play his game, and wasn’t worried about the losing streak or the Showcase Cup standings.
“It’s such a long season, almost every team goes through a losing skid,” Hill said. “Honestly, a lot of our losses were close games, and the start of the season we were winning those close games. The big thing for us is just staying consistent with what we do. I didn’t look to play hero ball or anything, we just want to find golden nuggets – things we can take from games even if we lose.
“It’s tough to learn from wins, so we took the opportunity to learn from our losses.”
What a start: Thompson, the No. 4 pick overall in the 2023 NBA Draft, made his G League debut on December 6 and did not disappoint.
The 6-7 rookie had a triple-double – 29 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists – in a 128-126 loss to Oklahoma City.
Thompson missed five weeks with a high ankle sprain before the Rockets assigned him to the G League for rehab.
STEM Fest: The theme for today’s game was STEM (science, technology, engineering and math), and kids from throughout the Birmingham area were at Legacy Arena to get hands-on demonstrations – and watch professional basketball.
The youngsters helped the Squadron draw 2,024 and created a great (and very loud) atmosphere.
OTD in 1947: The Birmingham Vulcans of the Southern Professional Basketball League defeated the Memphis Legionnaires, 62-43.
Player-coach Wheeler Flemming led the charge with 19 points, followed by Bobby O’Brien (15), Manuel Dorsky (11) and Bubba Bell (11).
The Vulcans never trailed and their starting lineup played from wire-to-wire.
OTD in 1948: The Birmingham Steelers of the SPBL defeated the Laurel Oilers, 63-61 to improve their record to 4-0.
Bob Murphy tallied 19 points for the winners.
OTD in 1991: The Birmingham Bandits of the Continental Basketball Association fell to the Oklahoma City Calvary, 106-102, for their fifth consecutive loss.
Jim Farmer was a bright spot for the Bandits, scoring 28 points. Marvin Alexander had a double-double (20 points, 10 rebounds) in a losing effort.
OTD in 2022: The Squadron lost to the Memphis Hustle, 114-109, at Legacy Arena. Kenny Loftin led the winners with a game-high 24 points.
Kelan Martin paced Birmingham with 21 points while both Zylan Cheatham and James Kelly Sr. added 20 apiece.
The Squadron fell to 6-12 with the loss.
Next up: The Squadron and Vipers are back at it on Saturday at Legacy Arena. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.