CLIPPERS CLOSE OUT LEGENDS, REGULAR SEASON

ONTARIO, CA, (Mar. 23, 2023) – AJ Lawson, Justin Jackson, and Grant Riller combined for 93 points Thursday night as the Texas Legends (7-24) fell to the Ontario Clippers (17-15) 125-128 in the Clippers’ final regular season matchup.

Justin Jackson opened the game with a 15-point first quarter to give the Legends a 34-27 lead.  Texas took their largest lead of the night (+12) with 1:14 left in the quarter, but Ontario finished with five unanswered and continued their streak with the opening basket of the second.  The Legends led until late in the second when the Clippers went on a 6-0 run to take the lead, but Jackson and Lawson combined for 13 points to close out the half on top 63-62.

The Clippers hit another run early in the third with 11 straight points to take an 8-point lead.  Texas stayed close but the final minutes saw another 10-0 run by the home team to take their largest lead of the night (+13) and hold a 96-88 advantage at the buzzer.  With two minutes remaining, the Clippers held a 12-point edge but Texas finished on a 15-6 run.  The Legends took the last shot to force overtime but it favored the home team who finished their regular season with the win. 

Lawson grabbed his third double-double of the season with 33 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and a block.  Jackson also filled the stat line with 33 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block.  Riller went 12-of-16 on the night for 27 points, 3 assists.

Keaton Wallace led the Clippers’ scoring efforts with 33 points, 5 assists.  Xavier Moon (26 points, 8 rebounds, 13 assists, 3 blocks) and Moussa Diabate (14 points, 10 rebounds) each added double-doubles.  Michael Devoe tagged on 23 points, 5 rebounds and Malik Fitts rounded out the double-digit scoring with 15 points, 4 rebounds off the bench. 

The Legends wrap up the 2022-23 season Saturday night in Santa Cruz with a 9pm CT tipoff.  Fans can catch all the action live at www.TexLegends.com and on the Legends Facebook page.