Rotowire

Grizz Gaming and Pistons GT clashed Thursday in a barn-burner that came down to the final seconds of the series. Game 1 was a tightly-contested fight through the first two quarters, with Grizz Gaming up 28-25 at halftime. However, the tide turned in the third quarter when Pistons GT came up with a huge 22-6 run to lead by 13 heading into the fourth quarter. They wouldn’t lose the lead and cruised to a 62-51 victory. DevGoss led all scorers with 32 points, Ramo scored 15 and Joseph grabbed 10 boards to go with three steals and three blocks. Demon JT couldn’t get much going, finishing with five points and five assists while committing nine turnovers. The backcourt of Vandi and AuthenticAfrican combined for 44 points for Memphis, with no other player scoring more than five.

Game 2 was decided by second-half play as well. Grizz Gaming held a narrow 32-30 lead at the break, though Memphis pushed that lead to 16 with a big third quarter to go ahead 63-47. Detroit wouldn’t go away, however, and Pistons GT made it a game late. In the final 90 seconds of the contest, the two teams stayed within five points of one another with Detroit cutting the lead to two twice in the final 15 seconds. Ultimately, Grizz Gaming held off the late rally and took the win, notching the series 1-1. Vandi went off for 47 points and six dimes, Jrod scored 16, and GOOFY757 grabbed 10 boards to go with a well-balanced stat line. JT made up for his lackluster showing in Game 1 to lead Detroit with 35 points. DevGoss scored 11, and Joseph grabbed 10 boards in the loss.

In the decisive Game 3, Memphis took control early, jumping out to a dominant 41-24 lead at halftime. This one followed the trend of the first two games, as the halves were flipped once more. Pistons GT headed into the fourth quarter down by 15 but cut the lead to single digits with a 7-0 run to start the period. From there, Pistons GT clawed back to within one point in the waning seconds but ultimately fell 64-64 after outscoring Memphis 40-24 in the second half. Vandi came through with 27 points and seven assists, and AuthenticAfrican went for 17 points and five steals. Pistons GT saw a strong team showing in the loss, as Ramo went for 16, Joseph provided a 14-point, 12-rebound double-double, DevGoss put up 14 and Demon JT chipped in 12 points and eight dimes. With the win, Memphis improves to 3-4, while Pistons GT drops to 1-5. Neither team plays again in Week 5.