The BIG3 kicked off its sixth season of action at the United Center in Chicago this weekend. After the past two seasons of operating in a "bubble" model due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the league is returning to a full arena touring model this season. The latest campaign will feature stops in 10 cities, starting with Chicago and running through the championship game at the O2 Arena in London on Aug. 26.
After winning the title in each of the past two seasons, Trilogy entered the season looking to become the first team to three-peat in BIG3 history, while the rest of the teams in the league are looking to knock them off.
Here's a look at the scores and three key takeaways from the first week of the BIG3 season.
Week 1 scores
- Trilogy 52, Enemies 46
- Bivouac 51, Triplets 47
- Power 50, 3-Headed Monsters 43
- Ball Hogs 50, Aliens 39
- Ghost Ballers 50, 3's Company 47
- Tri-State 50, Killer 3's 44
Takeaways
1. Trilogy kicks off championship defense with a win
After winning the championship in each of the past two seasons, Trilogy is looking to become the first team in league history to win three consecutive titles, and their bid to do so got off to a solid start in Week 1. Despite a late comeback attempt by Enemies, Trilogy was able to pull out a 52-46 victory to start the season off 1-0. Earl Clark had a monster game for Trilogy with 25 points, 11 rebounds and three assists. He also canned the game-winner for Trilogy:
The defending champs, @Big3Trilogy, get the victory in the Windy City 😤 @thebig3 pic.twitter.com/kEYnFhAMgu
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) June 25, 2023
Isaiah Briscoe also added 21 points, four rebounds and four assists for Trilogy, who will face off against former league MVP Joe Johnson and Triplets in Week 2.
2. Joe Johnson's huge game not enough for Triplets
Two-time BIG3 MVP Joe Johnson had a monster game for Triplets in Week 1. Johnson led all scorers in the the league in the opening week with 29 points. He also added 16 rebounds for good measure.
41-year-old Joe Johnson still getting buckets in @theBIG3!
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) June 25, 2023
He scored 29 of the team’s 47 PTS & grabbed 16 of the team’s 38 REBS pic.twitter.com/1y84FfsjKE
Unfortunately for Triplets, Johnson's output wasn't enough, as the team was bested 51-47 thanks to a late comeback by Bivouac. They'll look to bounce back next week against Trilogy. Johnson has led the BIG3 in scoring twice before, and after the way he started the season, he looks poised to potentially do so again.
3. Barbosa balls out for Ball Hogs
NBA fans are familiar with Leandro Barbosa after he spent well over a decade in the league, and now Barbosa is continuing to put on a show in the BIG3. In Ball Hogs dominant 50-39 victory over Aliens, Barbosa did a little bit of everything. He scored 16 points and also added six assists, two steals and two rebounds. Fellow former NBA'er Jodie Meeks also had a big game for Ball Hogs, adding 23 points, six rebounds and three assists.
