Leave it to a man named Moses to lead the Tulsa 66ers to a miracle comeback.
Down by as many as 23 points in the third quarter, Moses Ehambe ignited a Tulsa flurry in the fourth quarter as the 66ers outscored the Austin Toros 42-18 in the final period to notch a 109-104 victory over Austin. The win was big for Tulsa's playoff chances as the 66ers improved to 26-21 overall and moved a full game of idle Reno in the hunt for the eighth and final playoff spot.
Ehambe finished with a season-high 29 points off the bench and led Tulsa on a 19-4 run to end the game. He had just five points at halftime, but finished 8-of-11 from 3-point range and also hit three big free throws in the game's final seconds to ice the win.
Until Tulsa's 19-4 run began, it appeared the 66ers would not recover from a first quarter that saw the Toros jump out to a 30-16 lead at the end of the period. Austin led by as many as 23 points in the third quarter before Tulsa began its late comeback thanks to four consecutive 3-pointers from Ehambe.
Tulsa comes home to play consecutive games on Friday and Saturday for need-to-win games against Iowa, the team with the D-League's best record.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Shakur signed, sealed, and delivered
The Oklahoma City Thunder have signed current Tulsa 66ers guard Mustafa Shakur for the rest of the season and he will likely be assigned to Tulsa to finish out the current NBA Development League season.
Shakur, who was signed to a 10-day contract by the Thunder earlier in the season, has started and appeared in 43 games for the 66ers, averaging 20.4 points and 7.1 assists per game. Shakur was selected to the NBA D-League All-Star Game in February.
Shakur, who was signed to a 10-day contract by the Thunder earlier in the season, has started and appeared in 43 games for the 66ers, averaging 20.4 points and 7.1 assists per game. Shakur was selected to the NBA D-League All-Star Game in February.
Weather throws a wrench in Reno's plans
It seemed to be setting up well for Reno to have the 66ers come to town the day after finishing up against Albuquerque on Tulsa, but the weather wouldn't cooperate, keeping Tulsa away. It gives Tulsa an extra day before travelling to Austin (a team losing at home to L.A. as I write this), while the Reno game has been moved to Sunday.
What does that do to the 66ers? It makes the Iowa games even more important now, and puts a bit more of the mystery on them. What will Iowa do when they come to Tulsa -- play to win or play to rest for the playoffs?
But, before anything, the 66ers have to win in Austin to get the week off on the right foot.
What does that do to the 66ers? It makes the Iowa games even more important now, and puts a bit more of the mystery on them. What will Iowa do when they come to Tulsa -- play to win or play to rest for the playoffs?
But, before anything, the 66ers have to win in Austin to get the week off on the right foot.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Five big games ...
With Tulsa clinging to the eighth and final playoff spot, the 66ers control their own destiny as they play the final five games over the season over the next week. Three of those final five games are at home, but none of these final games are easy by any stretch. Let's take a look at the schedule.
Albuquerque (today at home) ... Maybe (on paper) the easiest game of the remaining schedule for the 66ers, today (like the rest of the games) figures to be a must-win for Tulsa. The 66ers won by 20 on Friday night and hope to keep the defense in high gear today. The Thunderbirds aren't the same offensive presence without Carlos Powell (now playing overseas) as they were when they beat the 66ers at the D-League Showcase, but Tulsa only needs to look back to the Bakersfield game to see that there's no time for slip-ups now.
Reno (Monday, at Reno) -- Here's hoping Coach Tibbetts and the guys like Reno, because this is their fifth game in Nevada this season. Tulsa and the Bighorns have split the previous four games. Reno has won four straight games, including two wins over a very good Maine squad, so the Bighorns are on a roll. They're also just percentage points behind the 66ers for the eighth playoff spot so a Tulsa loss means Reno controls their own fate while a Tulsa win puts some much-needed cushion between the two teams.
Austin (Wednesday, at Austin) -- Austin will be playing its second game in two nights as the Toros are hosting Los Angeles on Tuesday. As the current 3 seed, Austin has plenty to play for as Sioux Falls is trying to catch them for the third seed and is currently just two games back in the loss column. Tulsa holds a 3-2 edge in the series, but is just 1-2 against the Toros in Austin.
Iowa (Friday and Saturday at home) -- How's this for an intriguing way to end the season? Barring a collapse, Iowa will enter the two-game set as the D-League's top-seeded team ... and could even have clinched the #1 seed before pulling into Tulsa. It's possible that Tulsa could have much to play for in its final two games against the Energy while Iowa may have nothing to gain or lose. Could Iowa be willing to save its strength for the playoffs? If so, that could that be a huge plus for Tulsa. Also, if Iowa gets the top seed and Tulsa makes the playoffs, this could be a first-round playoff matchup as well ... so would that factor into the Energy's plans? Time will tell.
But that's down the road. The week-long test begins today with Albuquerque. One game at a time...
Albuquerque (today at home) ... Maybe (on paper) the easiest game of the remaining schedule for the 66ers, today (like the rest of the games) figures to be a must-win for Tulsa. The 66ers won by 20 on Friday night and hope to keep the defense in high gear today. The Thunderbirds aren't the same offensive presence without Carlos Powell (now playing overseas) as they were when they beat the 66ers at the D-League Showcase, but Tulsa only needs to look back to the Bakersfield game to see that there's no time for slip-ups now.
Reno (Monday, at Reno) -- Here's hoping Coach Tibbetts and the guys like Reno, because this is their fifth game in Nevada this season. Tulsa and the Bighorns have split the previous four games. Reno has won four straight games, including two wins over a very good Maine squad, so the Bighorns are on a roll. They're also just percentage points behind the 66ers for the eighth playoff spot so a Tulsa loss means Reno controls their own fate while a Tulsa win puts some much-needed cushion between the two teams.
Austin (Wednesday, at Austin) -- Austin will be playing its second game in two nights as the Toros are hosting Los Angeles on Tuesday. As the current 3 seed, Austin has plenty to play for as Sioux Falls is trying to catch them for the third seed and is currently just two games back in the loss column. Tulsa holds a 3-2 edge in the series, but is just 1-2 against the Toros in Austin.
Iowa (Friday and Saturday at home) -- How's this for an intriguing way to end the season? Barring a collapse, Iowa will enter the two-game set as the D-League's top-seeded team ... and could even have clinched the #1 seed before pulling into Tulsa. It's possible that Tulsa could have much to play for in its final two games against the Energy while Iowa may have nothing to gain or lose. Could Iowa be willing to save its strength for the playoffs? If so, that could that be a huge plus for Tulsa. Also, if Iowa gets the top seed and Tulsa makes the playoffs, this could be a first-round playoff matchup as well ... so would that factor into the Energy's plans? Time will tell.
But that's down the road. The week-long test begins today with Albuquerque. One game at a time...
Friday, March 26, 2010
Thursday, March 25, 2010
He's baaaaaack....
Just in time for tonight's game against Bakersfield, All-Star point guard Mustafa Shakur will be back with the Tulsa 66ers.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Looking at a pair of losses in Boise
Two losses in Boise and four consecutive losses come at a bad time for the Tulsa 66ers as they battle for one of the final spots in the D-League playoffs. Now standing at 23-20 with seven games to play, Tulsa needs to find some answers quickly.
Some random thoughts...
With the losses of DJ White, Kyle Weaver, and Mustafa Shakur, this is certainly a different 66ers team than the one that took the floor three weeks ago. Now the burden of leadership falls to Larry Owens, who led the 66ers in scoring on Saturday night with 22 points in Tulsa's 110-95 loss. Owens will be looked to more and more in the final seven games.
DeVon Hardin will also need to become more of a force in the paint in the stretch run. Hardin started strong in Sunday night's game with eight points in the first quarter, but then didn't score in the rest of the contest.
Latavious Williams continues to make strides, and that will be a big boost for the 66ers. His 25 points and 15 rebounds on Friday night were impressive numbers. He continues to grow and learn, and he followed that with 14 points on Saturday night.
Moses Ehmabe hit 50 percent of his 3-pointers (8-of-16) in Boise.
The best news of all? Five of Tulsa's final seven games are at home, with the next three (Thursday against Bakersfield and Friday and Sunday against Albuquerque) being paramount as those two teams have losing records.
Some random thoughts...
With the losses of DJ White, Kyle Weaver, and Mustafa Shakur, this is certainly a different 66ers team than the one that took the floor three weeks ago. Now the burden of leadership falls to Larry Owens, who led the 66ers in scoring on Saturday night with 22 points in Tulsa's 110-95 loss. Owens will be looked to more and more in the final seven games.
DeVon Hardin will also need to become more of a force in the paint in the stretch run. Hardin started strong in Sunday night's game with eight points in the first quarter, but then didn't score in the rest of the contest.
Latavious Williams continues to make strides, and that will be a big boost for the 66ers. His 25 points and 15 rebounds on Friday night were impressive numbers. He continues to grow and learn, and he followed that with 14 points on Saturday night.
Moses Ehmabe hit 50 percent of his 3-pointers (8-of-16) in Boise.
The best news of all? Five of Tulsa's final seven games are at home, with the next three (Thursday against Bakersfield and Friday and Sunday against Albuquerque) being paramount as those two teams have losing records.
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