WHO: 2 Memphis Hustle (23-9) vs 6 Rio Grande Valley Vipers (18-14)
WHEN/WHERE: 11:00 AM CT, FedExForum – Memphis, TN
HOW TO WATCH: NBAGLeague.com / NBA App
SEASON SERIES: Hustle 3-2 (2-1 in Showcase Cup, 1-1 in Regular Season)
PLAYER ASSIGNMENTS
The Memphis Grizzlies assigned rookie forward Jake LaRavia and transferred two-way forwards Vince Williams Jr. and Kenneth Lofton Jr. to the Memphis Hustle for this playoff contest. They rejoin the G League season assist leader, Jacob Gilyard, and single-season franchise three-point record holder, Dakota Mathias, and the rest of the Memphis Hustle.
HOW WE GOT HERE
After finishing the regular season with a 23-9 record, the Memphis Hustle entered the G League Playoffs with the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference and a bye in the first round. With the bye, the Hustle sat and watched as the No. 3 seed South Bay Lakers (NBA G League affiliate of the Los Angeles Lakers) hosted the No. 6 seed Rio Grande Valley Vipers (NBA G League affiliate of the Houston Rockets) for the right to advance to play the Memphis Hustle.
In a game where both teams traded leads for the majority of the game and especially in the 4th quarter, the Rio Grande Vipers closed the game on a 7-0 run including the game-winning layup by guard Jalen Lecque to pull off the upset on the road, 124-122. The Houston Rockets’ 2022 first-round draft pick, guard TyTy Washington Jr., led the Vipers with 30 points and 8 rebounds, while former Memphis Grizzlies forward Jarrett Culver added 15 points and 11 rebounds off the bench for the Vipers.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
The regular season series between the Memphis Hustle and Rio Grande Valley Vipers tied at 1-1 as both games were played recently in Southaven on March 17th and March 18th with the Vipers winning on the first night of the back-to-back and the Hustle returning the favor on the 2nd night. Including the Showcase Cup, the Hustle are 3-2 against the Vipers this season and those 3 games were played in November and December.
The common theme in all matchups between the two teams this entire season (including the Showcase Cup) is three-point shooting. Both the Hustle and Vipers rank in the top 10 in the G League in both three-pointers attempted and three-pointers made, and the winner of each matchup has shot significantly better than the loser. The difference between these two teams comes in the percentage as the Hustle rank 8th in the G League in three-point percentage (36.7%), while the Vipers rank tied for last in three-point percentage (33.1%).
The Rio Grande Valley Vipers made 16 out of 36 threes in their first-round matchup against the South Bay Lakers and expect to keep letting it fly against the Memphis Hustle. The Vipers made 28 threes in the November 17th matchup and 24 threes in the March 17th matchup (both wins) against the Hustle. In their 3 losses to the Hustle, they made a combined 26 threes including only making single-digit threes in two of the three losses. So the task is simple for the Hustle: defend the three and win the rebounding battle to limit 2nd chance opportunities.
This is a big day in Memphis Hustle history with their first home playoff game and first game at the FedExForum. In their six-year history, the Hustle has not made it past the Conference Semifinals, so a win today will be another step towards making history in their short stint.