Memphis Hustle basketball was back on Thursday evening, and while Memphis was iced, frozen over, and sent into a panic over last-second Justin Timberlake tickets, Matthew Hurt and the guys were scorching hot down in Texas as they burned the Spurs for an improbable last-second comeback. In a game that looked like it was out of reach with time trickling down, the short-handed Hustle had other plans in mind.
Coming into the mid-January matchup were the 5-3 Austin Spurs and the 3-6 Memphis Hustle, who were fresh off a win versus the Clippers at home on Tuesday night and looking to extend their win into a winning streak. The Spurs have been riding the wave of young guard David Duke Jr. and the momentum of a current homestand that will extend through their rematch against Memphis on Saturday. The Hustle have struggled as of late, but the play of Matthew Hurt has propelled them as of late and created a standard that the rest of the shorthanded squad has replicated in their last few match-ups. This was most definitely an entertaining matchup for both squads, as Hurt and Duke (no pun intended) went tit-for-tat.
Memphis began this game leading Austin by ten points after the first period thanks to an Adonis Arms heave from nearly the length of the court, to which the Spurs replied with a very commanding 35-17 second quarter, which effectively sent them into the half up 60-52. The Hustle came out with a strong push to begin the second half, and after a bounce-back third quarter, they entered the final period only trailing by one point. In the fourth quarter, this game hit another level, and Matthew Hurt turned into game-six Jordan. I could go more in depth with the first three quarters, but to be truthful, the last five minutes of this game far exceed the first 43. Just take my word.
So, with five minutes to go, the Hustle were down 100-103 and in a position to still claim this game… until the Spurs went on a 7-2 run to put the game at 110-102, with the game barely under three minutes. Matthew Hurt responded with two three-pointers to keep the team’s head above water, and with 1:34 left, the Hustle trailed 114-108 after a RaiQuan Gray lay-up, which ended up being the Spurs final basket of the game. From that point forward, the Hustle went on a 7-0 run ignited by Matthew Hurt and Timmy Allen to seal a miraculous comeback.
Matthew Hurt finished with 33 points, nine rebounds, two blocks, and a steal while shooting 12-22 and a career-high 7-11 from behind the three-point line. DeJon Jarreau contributed 24 points and seven assists, and David Johnson was on a triple-double alert before ultimately finishing up with 20 points, six assists, and seven rebounds. An all-around solid performance from the entire squad.
The Hustle will resume action on Saturday versus the Austin Spurs, where they will look to extend their winning streak to three games. Tip will be live from Cedar Park, TX, at 7:00 p.m. The game will be available for free viewing at https://gleague.nba.com/.