Revolution 81 vs. Kings 69
With or without Vasili Nasis, the Revolution is the top team in the league. What makes them so good? Offense. Pete Kada is a silent killer. King Kada scored 33 points tonight and did it quietly until the last couple minutes where he helped the Rev pull away in what was a close game. Kada’s shooting and stamina are a couple of reasons the Rev are so good, and the other is Kosta Pavlidis who scored 22, including a huge three late in the game which put the Rev up and helped them pull away. Nasis was not there for the Rev tonight but fear not, the twin turbo offense of Pavlidis and Kada got the job done.
This game was closer than the score tells. Up until about 2 minutes left, this was a 4 point game, but then Kings’ mistakes and missed shots led to easy offense for the Rev. So far, halfway through the season, the league MVP, in my opinion, is Tony Grammenos. But in a close second, it has to be Foti Giannopoulos. Foti had another big game tonight with 29 points. He has become the Kings’ main option and has done a great job stepping up in the place of a struggling Bill Zonios. Zonios tonight played slightly better with 17 points. The offense was ok for the Kings, but they need to improve their defense soon, or a trip back to the finals will not be in the cards.
Game ball: Pete Kada.
Spurs 47 vs. Grizzlies 34
What a sluggish start from the Spurs. The whole game was sluggish. The Spurs didn’t get their first bucket until about 5 minutes into the game and then slowly squeaked through the game until finally pulling away sometime in the middle of the second half. The Spurs were led in scoring by Kosta Nikolos with 16 points. Nikolos played well in the second half with 11 points all coming at crucial times when the Spurs were trying to build a solid lead. Vas Rousseas also scored 11 of his 12 points in the second half. 3 three-pointers and a layup. Rousseas’ and Nikolos scored 22 of the Spurs’ 30 points in the second half. Not a pretty win, but still a win.
Just when you think the Grizz might pull one out, it just doesn’t happen. Great job hanging on tonight by the Bustleton guys and I commend them on sticking it out as a team through thick and thin. Andrew Milonas led the Grizz with 12 points, but they needed a lot more offense tonight to go with their solid defense. It’s coming soon, people, that first Grizzlies win is right around the corner. I can feel it.
Game ball: Kosta Nikolos.
Arseniko 58 vs. Mavs 39
Alexi Topalidis is everywhere. When you think he’s too far to reach you, boom there goes the steal. He needs a nickname. What about “the greek sneak.” Topalidis was the main guy for Arseniko on defense, but on offense, it was Stef Grigorakakis. It seems like every season Stef has one big game where he goes off. Tonight was one of those nights as Stef scored 31 points to help Arseniko get over .500. Grigorakakis did most of this in the second half with 24 points in that half alone. Excellent offensive performance after a slow start. Arseniko has a chance to improve to 5-3 this weekend as they clash with the Spurs.
The streak is over for the Mavs. 3 in a row is where it stopped as the offensive struggles began. 39 points just will not cut it against any team in this league, and I think the Mavs know this. Dimitri Poulimenos had a team-high 22 points but could have been around 30 if the free throws all dropped. Poulimenos did what he could to keep the Mavs in the game, but once the young Arseniko legs started running, it’s hard to stop. The Mavs will look to rebound and get back to that .500 spot next week against the Sixers. That would be a huge win.
Game ball: Stef Grigorakakis.