With the playoffs around the corner, the Miami 305 and BIG3 basketball returned to Amerant Bank Arena for the second time this season.
The premier global 3-on-3 basketball league ran it back in Miami on Friday for a Week 7 competition, with two matchups headlining the event: the Dallas Power facing the Detroit Amps and the Boston Ball Hogs facing the home team. And it was not your typical 3-on-3 basketball game taking over South Florida for the night.
BIG3 basketball was founded in 2017 by producer, actor and musician Ice Cube and entertainment executive Jeff Kwatinetz. Since then, it has provided a fast-paced, entertainment-focused environment that has innovated the concept of 3-on-3 basketball.
Along with the usual 2- and 3-point shots, circles behind the 3-point line allow players to score 4 points as long as they have one foot touching it when they shoot. The game is played first to 50, with a team having to win by two points. There is also a 14-second shot clock, and occasional 1-on-1 opportunities when teams choose to challenge a foul call, ensuring constant action.
The first matchup of the night between Detroit and Dallas marked a meeting of the first- and last-place teams. The Power have dominated this season, sitting atop the BIG3 standings and boasting a 5-1 record heading into Friday, while the Amps have struggled to gain momentum, sitting at 1-5.
The Power are led by Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman and bolstered on the court by Elijah Stewart, who led the league in steals (10) and ranked third in points (104) heading into Friday. However, the night was a team effort for Dallas, as the crew worked to fend off the Amps’ hunt for the biggest upset of this season.
The Power steamrolled Detroit, with the Amps not leading at any point after an early 5-4 advantage. Dallas held just a nine-point advantage at halftime, but the lead grew to as many as 18 with the team’s second-half dominance. NBA veteran Greg Monroe dominated the paint, and co-captain Glen Rice Jr. hit knockdown shots to create the separation Detroit couldn’t bounce back from.
Stewart drilled a 3-pointer through contact to secure a 50-32 win, further cementing his team’s place atop the league. Detroit succumbed to a similar fate when it faced the Power in Miami the first time around, and though Amps’ co-captain Nasir Core threatened to propel a similar comeback as he did earlier this month, Dallas did not let them back in.
Following the blowout game, all eyes were on the second matchup of the night, not only because it included the home team, but because Boston and Miami held the third-and fourth-place spots heading into the meeting. With both teams looking toward the playoffs, they knew the result could impact seeding.
The defending champions, coached by five-time NBA champion Michael Cooper, came out firing, looking to bounce back from their loss to the Chicago Triplets on their home court earlier this month. Miami’s star-studded crew is captained by two former Miami Heat players in Mario Chalmers and Michael Beasley, but with Beasley serving a suspension last time BIG3 came to Miami, this was his first time playing in front of a home crowd this season. And the MVP candidate was motivated to make an impression on the Miami crowd, starting the game with a 4-pointer.
Miami 305’s Michael Beasley (right) dives for a loose ball vs. Boston Ball Hogs’ Quincy Miller during the second half of a BIG3 game on Friday. (Jim Rassol/Contributor).
However, Miami faced one of the premier offensive players in the league in Boston’s Jeremy Pargo, another MVP candidate. Heading into Friday’s matchup, Pargo led the league in points (125), 4-pointers (5) and total field goals (46).
Pargo dominated against the 305 with Boston taking a 27-19 halftime advantage. A 4-pointer by Lance Stephenson chipped away at the then 30-21 Boston lead, but Miami’s small bursts couldn’t match the Ball Hogs’ consistent scoring. The 305 put the pressure on Boston late, with Beasley propelling a 18-9 run as Amerant Bank Arena came to life, but Miami couldn’t capitalize and fell 50-47.
With the loss, Miami fell to 3-4 on the season heading into Week 8, the last of competition before the playoffs.