Another week of BIG3 basketball is in the books, with Charlotte and Philadelphia playing host to the Week 2 action. While NBA free agency went off the rails, a couple of BIG3 players looked like they could be worthy of a contract from the way that they played.
Cuttino Mobley was a man on a mission, leading defending champion Power to another victory and the top spot in this week's Power Rankings. Joe Johnson, who played NBA basketball as recently as the 2017-18 season, continued his assault in his first BIG3 season. Those two appear to be the early favorites for MVP after two games each.
Here are this week's BIG3 Power Rankings:
1. (Last week 1) Power, 2-0
The defending champs continue to roll along, even without 2018 BIG3 MVP Corey Maggette. Cuttino Mobley is making his bid to be this year's top player, with another strong performance in Week 2's 51-43 win over a stout Tri-State team that earned him BIG3 Player of the Week honors. The former Houston Rocket put up 23 points, seven rebounds and four steals, and Power remains the team to beat in the BIG3.
Cuttino Mobley (@CuttinosLife) willed his team to victory and left it all on the floor in an unforgettable performance that earned him Player of the Week. #BIG3onCBS pic.twitter.com/IFc6nL3Aan
— BIG3 on CBS (@thebig3) July 2, 2019
2. (2) Triplets, 2-0
Joe Johnson didn't quite duplicate the production from his stellar BIG3 debut, but he was still excellent with 20 points, eight rebounds and five assists in a dominant win over Trilogy. With Johnson playing at this level, Triplets are knocking on Power's door to become the best team in the league.
3. (4) Killer 3's, 2-0
After a narrow overtime win over Tri-State in Week 1, Killer 3's received a boost from the return of captain Stephen Jackson, who put up 22 points, including a 4-pointer, in a 50-32 thumping of 3's Company.
4. (3) Ghost Ballers, 2-0
The Ghost Ballers had a closer game this week, but were still able to pull out the 51-46 win over Bivouac, thanks to 21 points and nine rebounds from Jamario Moon to go along with 20 from Ricky Davis. Perhaps the most impressive moment of the week for the team, however, was when Davis boldly claimed that Kawhi Leonard joining the Lakers is a done deal. We'll see if he's right.
ICYMI: Kawhi Leonard going to the Lakers? Old news. Ricky Davis gave us the inside scoop during yesterday’s BIG3 games. pic.twitter.com/TiPWTFfVZo
— BIG3 on CBS (@thebig3) July 1, 2019
5. (5) 3 Headed Monsters, 2-0
Another week, another narrow win for 3 Headed Monsters. Rashard Lewis led a furious second-half comeback over Aliens, scoring 18 points, pulling down eight rebounds, and hitting the impressive game-winner.
Rashard Lewis with the CLUTCH game winner! #BIG3onCBS pic.twitter.com/IFG2zFyZQR
— BIG3 on CBS (@thebig3) June 30, 2019
It seems like 3 Headed Monsters have yet to play their best basketball, but still sit at 2-0.
6. (6) Bivouac, 1-1
The only Week 1 winner to lose in Week 2, Bivouac played Ghost Ballers tough before falling, 51-46. Bivouac was led by Will Bynum, who scored 17 points and also busted out perhaps the most impressive move of the season thus far, breaking Mike Taylor's ankles with a rarely seen fake Shammgod.
omg.. Will Bynum just BROKE SOME ANKLES @TheBig3 @12Thrill pic.twitter.com/WBCR0jqOAp
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) June 30, 2019
7. (11) Enemies, 1-1
After looking like one of the worst teams in the league in Week 1, Enemies benefited from the 13-point debut of Gilbert Arenas on Saturday. They overcame a 26-13 first-half deficit to stun the Ball Hogs as Craig Smith continued his stellar play for Enemies, scoring 19 points and hitting four 3-pointers.
8. (7) Tri-State, 0-2
Still winless, Tri-State hasn't looked the part of a cellar dweller. They ran into a buzzsaw Power team this week, as Amar'e Stoudemire's 18 points and six rebounds simply weren't enough. Expect this team to bounce back as the season goes on, and be in the thick of the championship race when all's said and done. On the plus side, Jason Richardson provided one of the best dunks of the season so far.
.@jrich23 with the thunderous reverse SLAM! An early contender for dunk of the year! 😤😤😤 #BIG3onCBS pic.twitter.com/o2p6uIfR48
— BIG3 on CBS (@thebig3) July 1, 2019
9. (9) Aliens, 0-2
The Aliens once again used the team approach to jump out to a 25-17 halftime lead over 3 Headed Monsters, but couldn't hang on in the second half. Brandon Rush led the team with 15 points and six rebounds, but so far they've lacked offensive firepower.
10. (8) Trilogy, 0-2
Trilogy expectedly had problems with MVP candidate Joe Johnson in their Week 2 loss to Triplets. James White led Trilogy with 18 points, including three 3-pointers, but they're going to have to find a reliable second scorer if they're going to make any noise.
11. (12) Ball Hogs, 0-2
Behind a brilliant 27-point, 11-rebound performance from Will McDonald, Ball Hogs had a much better showing in Week 2 after a rough opener. Giving up 37 points in the second half, however, just isn't going to get it done.
12. (10) 3's Company, 0-2
Having lost their first two games by a combined 30 points, 3's Company has by far the worst differential in the BIG3. Until Baron Davis comes back healthy, this team could continue to struggle.