A few bounces at the rim made all the difference for the visiting Vancouver FC against Calgary Surge on Friday night.
With the game on the line in Target Score Time at WinSport Events Centre, Calgary guard Evan Gilyard Jr. launched a deep three that rattled in after a few tense moments.
It was Gilyard鈥檚 first triple of the game, but it lifted the Surge past the Bandits 98-96.
Calgary have now swept the regular season series against the top-ranked Bandits, with both teams already locked into playoff spots in the Western Conference.
Both teams saw the return of NBA Summer League talent, with Vancouver鈥檚 Tyrese Samuel and Calgary鈥檚 Jameer Nelson Jr. making an impact after their time in Las Vegas.
Samuel finished with a team-high 26 points for Vancouver on 12-15 shooting. He said he could鈥檝e done better on the boards, but was happy with his return to the lineup overall.
鈥淚t feels good to be back out there with the guys. Obviously, today wasn't the result we wanted but we're just gonna go back to the drawing board and just be ready for the playoffs,鈥� Samuel said.
Aussie big man Mitch Creek was also a force in the frontcourt with 25 points and 13 rebounds in the loss, while Kyle Mangas added 12 off the bench in his second game back from NBA Summer League.
After three consecutive games with at least 15 threes, the Bandits cooled down on Friday with eight from long range at a 29 per cent clip. Calgary also capitalized on 18 Vancouver turnovers with 25 points.
鈥淪ome turnovers and giving them some easy offensive rebounds I think was part of the problem for sure,鈥� Vancouver head coach Kyle Julius said.
Bandits and Surge each started hot before the pace slowed. A catch-and-shoot triple from Corey Davis Jr. gave the Bandits their first lead at 16-14, and they stayed ahead 25-22 after 10 minutes.
Vancouver extended its lead to nine in the second quarter following inside finishes from Creek, Zach Copeland, Samuel and a three from Davis Jr. However, Nelson Jr. willed the Surge back into the game with 11 points in the quarter. He showed off his complete game as well, stealing the rock on defence before dishing to Brown III in transition for a massive slam.
After trailing for the entire second quarter, Calgary tied it up heading into the locker room with a buzzer-beating putback from Javont茅 Brown.
Miller-Moore regained the lead for the Surge to kick off the third quarter with a transition dunk. Calgary locked in defensively for the remainder of the frame, limiting the high-powered Bandits' offence to just 18 points.
Brown III added to his highlight reel late in the quarter, spinning for a left-handed dunk on Kur Jongkuch that put him on the free throw line as well.
Down four points entering the final quarter, Creek and Samuel went to work inside for Vancouver. The frontcourt duo combined for 17 points before Target Score Time to knot the game at 87, but Brown III finished a putback to give Calgary a two-point advantage heading into the final stretch.
The bigs continued to duel in Target Score Time, with Samuel opening the scoring before Brown III showed his versatility, connecting on back-to-back threes and rejecting Creek on the other end.
Calgary missed multiple shots for the win, and Samuel added another layup before fouling out. A putback from Creek vaulted Vancouver back in front at 96-95, putting both teams a bucket away from victory.
On the following possession, Gilyard did his best Kawhi Leonard impression to win the game with a deep three that needed multiple bounces before dropping.
Up next, a Friday trip to Edmonton to play the Stigers.
