Ignite Falls To The Cruise In Winter Showcase Opener
-- Ignite Falls Short in Low Scoring Matchup Against the Cruise, 96-88 –
Official Release /December 21, 2022
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| TEAM | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | SCORE | POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS |
| MOTOR CITY CRUISE | 19 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 96 | Devontae Cacok 19 | Devontae Cacok 12 | Keifer Sykes 8 |
| G LEAGUE IGNITE | 17 | 28 | 25 | 18 | 88 | Cameron Young 18 | Leonard Miller 14 | Cissoko/Miller 3 |
LAS VEGAS, Nev., Dec. 20, 2022 – NBA G League Ignite (4-13) was defeated, 96-88, by the Motor City Cruise (4-13) in its opening matchup at the 2022 NBA G League Winter Showcase at Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nev.
Ignite was led by Cameron Young, who recorded 18 points and five rebounds, while Sidy Cissoko added 14 points, four rebounds and three assists. London Johnson and John Jenkins tallied 13 points apiece.
Devontae Cacok led the Cruise, as he notched a double-double with a game-high 19 points and 12 rebounds. Buddy Boeheim followed with 15 points, three rebounds and two assists on 5-of-10 shooting from the three-point line.
Both teams got off to a slow start offensively, as the Cruise took an early two-point advantage, 19-17, after the first quarter. Ignite missed its first seven shots of the game, while Devontae Cacok, of the Cruise, took advantage to score 11 of his 19 points in the opening period.
Ignite was able to keep the game close by holding the Cruise to 22.2 percent from the three-point line in the first half. The Cruise missed 12 consecutive three-pointers before knocking down back-to-back from behind the arc to extend its lead by eight points with under six minutes remaining in the half. Ignite battled back to even the score, 45-45, with a last-second basket by London Johnson to end the period. Ignite was held to its lowest first-half point total of the season.
In a back-and-forth third quarter, the Cruise took a one-point lead into the final period. ShawnDre Jones, of Cruise, poured in 10 of his 12 points on 4-of-5 shots from the field, including 2-of-3 from the three-point line in the quarter.
Motor City caught fire in the final period en route to the target score of 96, as the Cruise shot 56.2 from the field and 83.3 percent from behind the arc to take its largest lead of the game, 11, to seal the victory.
NEXT UP
Ignite will complete its Winter Showcase Cup appearance against the Greensboro Swarm on Thursday morning at Mandalay Bay Convention Center, tipping off at 10:00 a.m. PT/1:00 p.m. ET. Coverage will be available on ESPN2.
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