Hustle Win Regular Season Home Opener on Tyler Burton Game-Winner

Memphis, Tenn. – The Memphis Hustle (1-2), the NBA G League affiliate of the Memphis Grizzlies, defeated the Valley Suns (1-2) 117-116 following a game-winning jump shot by Tyler Burton in the regular season home opener at Landers Center.

Nate Hinton led Memphis with 24 points, 10 rebounds and two steals. Burton totaled 22 points and five rebounds. Jahmai Mashack registered 18 points, 10 assists, four steals and two blocks. Evan Gilyard scored 13 points. Jordan Minor added 12 points, eight rebounds and two steals off the bench. Abou Ousmane hauled in 10 rebounds.

CJ Huntley paced the Suns with 25 points and 15 rebounds. Jaden Shackelford scored 23 points. Damion Baugh contributed 22 points and nine assists. Marcus Burk tallied 11 points and six rebounds. Alex Schumacher added 11 points off the bench.

Valley opened the game on a 22-9 run to take an early double-digit lead. Memphis outscored the Suns 28-21 in the second quarter to take a two-point lead into the halftime break. The Hustle led by as many as 14 points early in the fourth quarter before the Suns fought back to tie the game at 112 with 2:30 remaining.

Baugh’s floating layup gave Valley a 116-115 lead with 4.6 seconds remaining. Burton responded with an 11-foot fadeaway jumper with 0.2 seconds remaining. The Hustle tipped away the Sun’s alley-oop attempt at the buzzer to secure the win.

The Hustle scored 25 points off turnovers and 21 fast break points. Memphis totaled 50 points in the paint and 16 second chance points. Valley made 17 3-pointers and shot 91.7 percent from the free throw line.

The two teams will complete the two-game set at Landers Center on Monday, Dec. 29, at 7 p.m. CT.

Single game tickets for all regular season Hustle games are on sale now. Tickets start at just $15 and are available for purchase at memphishustle.com/ticket-central or by calling (901) 888-HOOP. Additionally, all-inclusive floor seats and tables are still available for purchase, and the Hustle are accepting $50 deposits for groups of 10-or-more.

For more information on the Memphis Hustle, visit memphishustle.com, follow the team on Twitter/X and Instagram (@MemphisHustle) or ‘like’ Memphis Hustle on Facebook.