EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — The top-seeded South Bay Lakers showed why they earned the No. 1 spot in the Western Conference, pulling away from the Rio Grande Valley Vipers with a convincing 112-97 victory on Friday night at the UCLA Health Training Center.
Drew Timme led the charge for South Bay, delivering a dominant all-around performance with 26 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists. The two-way forward was efficient and physical, controlling the paint and making plays for his teammates throughout the contest.
Coming off the bench, Dalton Knecht provided a major spark with 24 points, adding firepower to the Lakers’ attack and helping them build a comfortable lead in the second half.
The Lakers jumped out to an early advantage and never looked back, maintaining control on both ends of the floor at their home facility in El Segundo. South Bay’s balanced scoring and defensive intensity proved too much for the Vipers, who couldn’t mount a serious comeback after the midway point.
With the win, the South Bay Lakers advance to the Western Conference Finals. They will host the Stockton Kings on Sunday, April 5th at 5:00 PM at the UCLA Health Training Center in Los Angeles. Another victory would send them to the NBA G League Finals as they chase their first championship.
South Bay’s home-court dominance has been a hallmark of their season, and they’ll look to keep that momentum rolling against Stockton in what promises to be another high-stakes playoff showdown.
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Article & Photos by BZFILMS Sports Marketing Agency – Bruno De Witt Zanotto
