By Jay Betsill
The Texas Legends presented by Veracruz came out of a 10-game losing streak by sweeping the Los Angeles D-Fenders this weekend at Dr Pepper Arena in Frisco, TX.
Okay, so they had a little help from their friends down the road in Dallas.
For Thursday’s game against the D-Fenders, the Legends, the Dallas Mavericks NBA Development League affiliate, were the beneficiary of the Mavs assigning them Jae Crowder, Bernard James and Shane Larkin. Crowder in his second season out of Marquette, and originally the 34th overall pick of the 2012 NBA Draft, with James, the 33rd selection in the 2012 NBA Draft out of Florida State, combined for 21 points in the first quarter and would shine the rest of the evening. James led the Legends with a franchise-record 90% shooting and finished with 38 points and 18 rebounds. Not to be outdone, Crowder had the team’s first triple-double of the season with 23 points, 18 rebounds and 10 assists in the Legends 121-103 win.
After rejoining the Mavs for Friday night’s 100-91 loss to the Chicago Bulls, Crowder, Larkin, and Mavs rookie Ricky Ledo were reassigned to the Legends for Saturday night’s rematch against the D-Fenders. Crowder had another triple double with 22 points, 14 rebounds with 10 assists, and Larkin added a double-double of 22 points and 10 rebounds. The star of the night for the Legends was P.J. Hairston, who came off the bench to ignite the offense and score 36 points on 11-of-18 shooting in the Legends 137-126 overtime victory.
There are 11 games remaining in the Legends season. For further information and to get tickets call (214) 469-0822 or visit TexLegends.com.