With just seven players Thursday, the RGV Vipers did what they’ve done all year — win, and win big.
All seven scored in double figures and the Vipers — the first team to clinch a playoff spot this season — blew away Sioux Falls 125-89 at Bert Ogden Arena, in the first of a six-game home stand.
The Vipers have seven games remaining, six of those at home, where they hold a 10-2 record. They have a 2 1/2-game lead over second-place South Bay and can clinch the No. 1 seed in the West during their home stand.
The team started the regular season 1-3, but head coach Mahmoud Abdelfattah said he could tell from that first win this could be a special season. The Vipers won that game on the road 122-105 and, like Thursday, played short-handed without players such as Daishen Nix, Trevelin Queen, Gerald Green and Mfiondu Kabengele.
“From the start of the year the guys’ work ethic as been phenomenal,” Abdelfattah, who is seeking to lead the Vipers to a league-best fourth NBA G League title, said. “From that first game you could tell when we beat the Legends at their place without all those players. These guys just love playing with each other.”
Abdelfattah said from the beginning of preseason that depth and versatility would be a strong point for the Vipers. Thursday’s win was a prime example.
Tyler Bey had a monster game, ripping down a career-high 21 rebounds to go along with 16 points, three blocked shots, three steals and a pair of assists.
“This game let us know what we are capable of doing,” Bey said. “Everybody came out to play hard. When we play at our highest level, we can beat anybody in the league.”
Anthony Lamb, last year’s G League Most Improved Player, scored a team-high 26 points to go with nine rebounds, five assists and three blocks. Mfiondu Kabengele picked up another double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Marcus Foster also registered a double-double, scoring 17 points and dishing out 10 assists.
The numbers are staggering when taking a look at the Vipers’ dominance this season. Seventeen of their 21 wins have been by double figures, 12 of them by 15 or more points, eight of them by 20 or more and three by 30 or more points including a 46-point win over the Texas Legends — again on the road — on Feb. 23.
Of their six losses, three of them are by three or fewer points.
“When u start winning games and guys start seeing what it takes to win, especially at this level, they hold each other accountable,” Abdelfattah said. “It’s fun to see.”
Abdelfattah said he hopes to have injured Trevelin Queen back within the next week but said after five years now in the league, he knows to expect the unexpected.
“You never really know who you’re going to have each game,” he said. “We might have 12 guys come Saturday and get a couple guys from Houston. But whether we have 12 or seven or eight, we’ll be ready to go.”
