Santa Cruz Warriors: NBA D-League Playoff Berth Just One Game Away
Santa Cruz Warriors now just one win away from securing a playoff berth in the 2017 NBA D-League postseason.
The Santa Cruz Warriors (29-19) have really shifted into a new gear with the season quickly coming to a close, winning nine of their past 11 games scheduled in the month of March.
After defeating the Los Angeles D-Fenders 134-124 on Saturday at the Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo, CA, the Sea Dubs are now within one game of clinching the fourth and final seed of the NBA D-League Western Conference.
A Northern Arizona Suns (22-25) win over the Sioux Falls Skyforce (26-20) on Sunday would clinch a playoff berth for Santa Cruz right off the bat; otherwise, Santa Cruz would have to wrap up their 4-game road trip with a win over the Salt Lake City Stars on Monday.
As of right now, Santa Cruz holds a 2-game lead over Sioux Falls for the fourth seed in the West. Both teams have less-than-a-handful of games left to play in the regular season.
Phil Pressey and Jabari Brown were the stars of the show on Saturday against the D-Fenders, each finishing with a game-high 32 points. Pressey (12-22 FG) added a team-high eight assists to go with his four steals, while Brown (7-15 FG) had seven rebounds, four assists and one block.
James Southerland nearly had a double-double, posing 17 points (6-12 FG), nine rebounds, five steals and one block. Scott Wood posted 11 points (4-7 FG), while Damian Jones — still on assignment from the Golden State Warriors, notched 11 points (5-8 FG), seven rebounds and three blocks. Alex Hamilton added 14 points on 6-for-8 shooting.
Before their win in Southern California on Saturday, the Santa Cruz Warriors defeated the Austin Spurs last Thursday 106-103 at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park in Cedar Park, TX.
Led by Phil Pressey‘s 24 points and Damian Jones‘ 23 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks, the Warriors surprisingly stole a win from one of the top teams in the D-League, beating out the Spurs by just milliseconds!
Prior to that, Surf City came out on top over the Rio Grande Valley Vipers last Tuesday at the State Farm Arena in Hidalgo, TX, winning 138-125.
Next: Kevon Looney Recalled After Game v. Austin Spurs
Santa Cruz will conclude their 4-game road trip with their aforementioned matchup against the Salt Lake City Stars on Monday at the Lifetime Activities Center-Bruin Arena in Salt Lake City, UT. Game tips off at 6:00 p.m. PDT.
The Warriors will then end the regular season at Kaiser Permanente Arena on Friday hosting the Los Angeles D-Fenders.
As always, Warriors fans unable to catch the Sea Dubs play in person will have the opportunity to watch them play via Facebook Live.