The D-Fenders defeated the Oklahoma City Blue 94-90 tonight in Oklahoma City, OK. Malcolm Thomas recorded his second straight double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Manny Harris scored a team-high 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds for Los Angeles (5-1). Vander Blue (14 points, seven rebounds, five assists, four steals), Justin Hawkins (13 points, 6 rebounds), Josh Magette (12 points) and Justin Harper (10 points) all reached double-figures for the D-Fenders. Josh Huestis (18 points, five rebounds) paced the Blue (0-5). Marquis Teague (16 points, six assists), Boubacar Moungoro (12 points), Dakari Johnson (12 points, 12 rebounds), Kameron Woods (11 points, 15 rebounds), and Talib Zanna (10 points, nine rebounds) all reached double-digits for Oklahoma City. The contest was all knotted up at 25 after one quarter of play, Harris scoring a team-high nine points for the D-Fenders, while Woods had seven for the Blue. The two teams continued to trade buckets in the second, with a total of 13 ties and nine lead changes in the first half. Los Angeles outscored Oklahoma City 24-23 in the second quarter to take a 49-48 lead into halftime. Magette scored eight points in the third quarter for the D-Fenders, who outscored the Blue 26-19 in the frame. After three, Los Angeles led 75-67. The D-Fenders struggled in the fourth quarter, tallying just 19 points and shooting .286 from the field. The Blue scored 23 points, behind nine points from Huestis, but they needed a few more to fall, as the D-Fenders held on to win 94-90. The D-Fenders struggled from the field, shooting .386 on the night, compared to .410 for the Blue. Los Angeles forced 26 turnovers, while Oklahoma City forced 16. The D-Fenders hit 19-of-27 free throws, compared to 16-of-25 for the Blue. Los Angeles heads to the Rio Grande Valley to face the Vipers on Friday at 5:00pm PT. Press release
