The Big3 will crown a new champion on Sunday before the league’s eighth season comes to a close. The Chicago Triplets and Miami 305 will compete for the championship at Addition Financial Arena in Orlando following the league’s all-star game.
Chicago and Miami secured slots in the title game by beating LA Riot and Dallas Power, respectively, in the semifinals. last Sunday. Top-seeded Chicago beat LA, 50-38, while third-seeded Miami fought hard to overcome the second-seeded Dallas, edging its rival, 50-47, with a huge contribution from Lance Stephenson, who notched 23 points and 11 rebounds.
Miami has a strong two-man game. Michael Beasley’s 22 points complimented Stephenson as the duo were the top scorers of the week. Beasley also placed in the top three in the rebounds and steals departments, and he kept stuffing the stat sheet with five blocks, which also led the league last week. They’ll need to put the pieces together against Chicago, this season’s most dominant team, anchored by playmaker Nasir Core, who led all players with five assists last week.
Preceding Sunday’s championship is the Big3 All-Star Game. The six eliminated teams will be represented in the special showcase game that will feature Jordan Crawford and Greg Monroe on one team and Dwight Howard and Corey Brewer on the other.
All the action begins Sunday at 2 p.m. ET on CBS, starting with the Big3 All-Star Game. Here are the complete lineups for that exhibition:
Team 1
- Greg Monroe, Dallas
- Jordan Crawford, LA
- DeShawn Stephens, Boston
- Glen Rice Jr., Dallas
- Franklin Session, DMV
Team 2
- Dwight Howard, LA
- Jonathan Simmons, Boston
- Earl Clark, DMV
- Jeremy Pargo, Detroit
- Corey Brewer, Houston
Big3 Week 11 (Aug. 24) schedule
- All-Star Game: 2 p.m. on CBS
- Championship: Miami 305 vs. Chicago Triplets, 3 p.m. on CBS
|
Chicago Triplets — 1 seed, advanced to championship |
6 |
2 |
|
Dallas Power — 2 seed, lost semifinal to Miami |
6 |
2 |
|
Miami 305 — 3 seed, advanced to championship |
5 |
3 |
|
LA Riot — 4 seed, lost semifinal to Chicago |
4 |
4 |
|
Boston Ball Hogs — eliminated |
4 |
4 |
|
Detroit Amps — eliminated |
4 |
4 |
|
DMV Trilogy — eliminated |
2 |
6 |
|
Houston Rig Hands — eliminated |
1 |
7 |
Notable players to watch
Core underperformed as a shooting force relative to Week 9, but was critical to Chicago’s dominance against LA. His playmaking aptitude was on full display, leading the week in assists. He’s one of only two players this season to score at least 12 points in all eight games during the regular season, and he’s tied with Jordan Crawford for the most game-winners (3) in the league this season.
Beasley was a major all-around threat in Week 10. He’s the only player from the semifinals to rank top five in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks. He’s also the only player to eclipse 30 points twice this season, and finished as the regular season’s leading scorer, averaging 23.1 points. The 22 points he secured against Dallas affirmed that he’s firing on all cylinders.
