Motor City vs. Long Island

UNIONDALE, N.Y. (Interstat) — Isaac Jones scored 32 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, and the Motor City Cruise survived a frantic final possession to edge the Long Island Nets 106-104 in a G League game Wednesday night at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

The game was decided in the final 26 seconds. With the score tied at 104, Long Island’s Nate Williams fouled Jones on a shot attempt. Jones, a 6-foot-9 power forward, sank both free throws to put the Cruise ahead. The Nets called a timeout with 4 seconds left to advance the ball and set up a final play.

Tyson Etienne’s 28-foot 3-point attempt as time expired missed, and Williams’ offensive rebound came after the final buzzer, sealing the victory for Motor City. The win avenged a 112-106 loss to Long Island on Monday.

Jones was dominant throughout, adding seven blocks in 32 minutes. His performance anchored a Cruise defense that recorded 12 blocks and held Long Island to 39-of-97 shooting from the field. Wendell Moore added 20 points and 10 rebounds for Motor City, while Drew Peterson contributed 15 points, eight rebounds and four assists.

Long Island was led by Jeenathan Williams with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Terry Roberts tallied 11 points, seven rebounds and eight assists, and David Muoka scored 14 points off the bench.

The Nets led 30-24 after a high-scoring first quarter but were outscored 32-24 in the second period as Motor City took a 56-54 lead into halftime. The Cruise maintained a narrow advantage through a tightly contested second half, never leading by more than six points.

Motor City’s efficiency proved decisive. Despite attempting 17 fewer shots, the Cruise shot 42.5% from the field and converted 17 of 19 free throws. Long Island shot 40.2% and made 9 of 12 from the line. The Nets won the rebounding battle 47-45 and forced 14 turnovers while committing only nine, but could not overcome their lower shooting percentage.

With the win, Motor City improved to 14-16 across all competitions. Long Island fell to 16-14. According to Interstat’s ELO system, the Nets had been projected with a 75.8% probability to win.

Motor City next plays at Cleveland on Saturday. Long Island hosts Grand Rapids on Monday.