Hustle Fall Short at Home, Capitanes Get Payback

The Hustle and Capitanes faced off for the second consecutive day at the Landers Center in Southaven, with Mexico City looking to bounce back and get revenge after losing the first matchup Sunday afternoon.

The Mexico City Capitanes came into this game with the exact same roster and game plan, while the Hustle revamped by adding 2023 NBA G League Rookie of the Year Kenneth Lofton Jr. and Vince Williams Jr. while on assignment from the Memphis Grizzlies. This also comes one night after Williams Jr. put on a very impressive defensive display against a premier-star shooting guard in Jaylen Brown at the NBA level.

Mexico City came into this matchup only one day after losing a nail-biter to this same Hustle team; unlike Sunday’s matchup, though, the Capitanes got a very spread-out team effort from all of their players after Michael Carter-Williams and Trey Burke primarily ran the show on Sunday. Mexico City out-rebounded, out-assisted, and out-scored the Hustle… They actually outperformed the Hustle in every statistical category save fouls committed.

This was Mexico City’s night in every way. Michael Carter-Williams bounced back after a horrid turnover display yesterday afternoon with 17 points, four rebounds, seven assists, and only one turnover, while Trey Burke was on a heater again, providing 28 points on 9-17 shooting from the floor. The Capitanes’ shorthanded bench provided 31 points between three players.

The Hustle could not find their flow Monday night. I fully expected the additions of Lofton Jr. and Williams Jr. to greatly benefit the Hustle, but surprisingly, it really didn’t. Lofton Jr. finished with 23 points, nine rebounds, and four assists; G.G. Jackson tallied 21 points, five rebounds, and three assists; and Adonis Arms supplied 20 points, three rebounds, and an assist.

The game’s surprise to me wasn’t losing, believe it or not. The surprise to me was that Vince Williams Jr. fouled out with five turnovers, especially after how well he guarded two NBA stars in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown on Sunday evening, when he finished the game with only two fouls. You can only assume it was due to dead legs, right? Playing the night after guarding both of those guys? It couldn’t be me.

The Hustle have now fallen to 2-5 on the season after Monday’s 104-124 defeat, so the question that remains is, “What is going to get this team over the hump consistently?” We have had issues closing games, blowing leads, and containing opposing stars. The constant in all of those situations is one thing: DEFENSE.

We must regroup and remain more active on the other side of the floor, especially as we continue to fall further below the .500 mark on the season. Luckily for Memphis, it is at the beginning of a nearly week-long break, providing the team plenty of time to work on issues while refreshing mentally and physically after a tight two weeks of basketball.

The Hustle will resume action Sunday afternoon in Birmingham, Alabama, as they take on the Birmingham Squadron at 3:00 p.m. The game will be broadcast on NBA TV.