D-Fenders Fly Past Flash Again

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 29 - Forward Sean Banks scored 23 points to lead the Los Angeles D-Fenders to a 106-85 victory over the visiting Utah Flash on Tuesday at STAPLES Center.

Los Angeles (17-8) used a strong second half to overcome a 53-45 halftime deficit. The D-Fenders outscored the Flash, 32-15, in the third quarter, forcing seven turnovers.

Los Angeles put away the game as they began the fourth quarter with a 23-4 run, ending any chances of a Flash comeback.

"In the first half, they were the aggressors," D-Fenders coach Dan Panaggio said. "We came out ready to play in the third quarter, though. Once we started to play some defense, we sapped a little bit of the team’s confidence on the other end."

Devin Green returned to the lineup with a strong performance after missing two games due to illness, recording his fifth double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 assists. Jelani McCoy played strong in the middle with 10 points and four blocks, helping Los Angeles outscore Utah in the paint, 52-32.

"At halftime we talked about finishing plays and playing hard defense," Green said. "They were shooting well in the first half, so we wanted to put some pressure on them in the second half."

Utah was led by NBA assignee Morris Almond with 20 points and James Lang with 16 and 13 rebounds. The Flash (13-13) dropped to .500 for the first time since being 5-5 on Dec. 15.

"We came out with a lot of energy in the first half," Flash coach Brad Jones said. "But like any good team, Los Angeles made adjustments and they got their energy going. It was like they deflated us. They are a good team. They took their game to another level and we couldn’t match it."

The D-Fenders also beat the Flash, 95-71, on Sunday.

Los Angeles heads to Anaheim to take on the Arsenal on Friday night. Utah continues its West Coast swing with a trip to Bakersfield to face the Jam.