The Hustle returned to action Tuesday night to play their first game on the road in nearly a month as they took on the Salt Lake City Stars. A game that appeared to be fully in Memphis’s control early quickly turned sour as former Hustle guard Jason Preston decided it was his team’s time to shine as he propelled them to victory with a very impressive triple-double. This is the second lead of 15+ blown by the Hustle within the last three games.
Memphis started this game firing on all cylinders and even held a lead of 18 early on in the first and second quarters before getting hit with a nasty cold spell in the middle of the second quarter, giving Salt Lake City the momentum to make this one a game. Three of the five Stars starters scored 23 or more points, and former Hustle Jason Preston went off for a 25-point, 15-rebound, and 12-assist triple-double on 9/15 shooting, completely changing the entire game for his team. The game proceeded to bounce back and forth, going into the fourth quarter knotted up before Salt Lake City separated themselves late for the win.
The Hustle were led by Michael Devoe on the evening, who posted a new career high of 29 points on 10-13 shooting, including 3-5 from deep and 5-5 from the line. Adonis Arms contributed 20+ points for the sixth straight game, including seven of his last eight, and Matthew Hurt added 24 points and 7 boards. Outside of those three, scoring and production were scarce on the evening, and all but one guy on the squad finished negative in terms of efficiency on the evening. It was a tough one for the team, but they’ve proven time and time again that they have the ability to make adjustments and bounce back. I fully expect them to come out with a different energy and approach in the next game.
The Hustle will battle the Salt Lake City Stars once again on Thursday night as they look to get payback on Salt Lake’s homecourt. The tip will be live at 8:00 p.m. The game will be available for viewing on ESPN+.