Blue Takes Down Charge
By Oklahoma City Blue Staff /February 15, 2021
ORLANDO, Feb. 14, 2021 – The Oklahoma City Blue (2-1) dropped the Canton Charge (1-2), 141-110, on Sunday evening, setting a G League season high in scoring.
Two-way player Moses Brown set the tone early for the Blue with a first-half double-double, scoring 16 points and 12 rebounds before the break and finishing with career highs of 26 points and 17 rebounds. Off the bench, Melvin Frazier Jr. continued the momentum by hitting six of his first seven shots. The Blue scored 46 of its 71 first-half points in the paint.
To open the second half, Thunder assignment player Aleksej Pokuševski ignited a 11-0 Blue run on a deep three-pointer, helping Oklahoma City go up by as many as 38 points. Pokuševski finished with 10 points, four rebounds and six assists, shooting 4-of-7 from the floor and 2-of-3 from beyond the arc.
“I thought we continued to make the right play” Head Coach Grant Gibbs said. “I thought Zavier Simpson really set the tone with his ability to spread it around. There are guys who can pass; Ty Jerome, Poku, obviously showed a lot of his playmaking ability today. Passing is contagious. Making shots is contagious, but when the ball’s popping around and guys are willing to make the right play, I think the ball has energy in those situations.”
Oklahoma City dished out a G League season-high and Blue record 42 assists on 60 made shots and outrebounded Canton 59-29. Zavier Simpson logged a game-high 10 assists to go with his 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting and five rebounds.
Eight Oklahoma City players scored in double figures as Ömer Yurtseven notched his first career double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds. Antonius Cleveland scored 22 points on 9-of-11 shooting from the floor and 2-of-2 shooting from long range to go with seven boards and six assists. Rob Edwards knocked down four shots from three-point range to tally 14 points off the Blue bench.
For the Charge, Sheldon Mac turned in a team-leading 20 points and nine assists off the bench.
The Blue will face the Fort Wayne Mad Ants next on Tuesday, Feb. 16, at 6:30 p.m. CT inside The Field House.