Justin Patton Scores 14 in Blue Loss
Courtesy of Thunder PR:
The Oklahoma City Blue fell to the Salt Lake City Stars, 106-87 on Friday night.
The Blue cut the lead to 85-77 with under seven minutes left in the game on a layup from Thunder assignment player Justin Patton. The Stars closed the game on a 21-12 run that included 7 points on 3-of-4 shooting from Trevon Bluiett.
“I thought we played with a lot of effort tonight, but the execution was not great and that was ultimately what decided the game,” Head Coach Grant Gibbs said. “Credit to Salt Lake, I think they did a really good job defensively…we just need to continue to grow and get better going forward and control the things that we can control.”
Patton scored eight in the fourth quarter and finished with 14 points, nine rebounds, three assists, and five blocks. He was one of five in double figures for the Blue.
Oklahoma City started fast to open the game, claiming an early 21-9 advantage halfway through the first quarter. Salt Lake City answered with a run of their own to trail just 25-23 after one.
The Blue trailed 56-43 at halftime after being outscored by 15 points in the second quarter. Thunder assignment player Deonte Burton totaled 10 points and five rebounds in the first half to keep the Blue in the game.
Burton finished with his second consecutive double-double, tallying 18 points and 10 rebounds while Abdul Gaddy set a career-high with 15 assists to go along with five points and four rebounds.
Oklahoma City outscored the Stars in the paint 46-32 behind a season-high-tying 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting from Kadeem Jack.
Justin Wright-Foreman led the way for the Stars with 24 points on 7-of-15 shooting, two rebounds, and two assists.
The Blue is now 4-8 and will complete the back-to-back Saturday night at 7 p.m. as they face the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the Cox Convention Center.
