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The Armor lost another heartbreaker Friday, the second in a week, but the three top NBA prospects on the Springfield roster all played well. The Delaware 87ers, the Sixers affiliate, beat the Armor 92-91 at the MassMutual Center, dropping their record to 2-10.
Dennis Horner, the former New Jersey Net, Willie Reed who played for the Grizziles last season and Adonis Thomas, the 20-year-old who was signed and cut by the Nets in training camp, led the Armor. The 6'9" Horner scored 27 points, shooting 9-of-15 overall, including 2-of-3 from deep. Reed, the Armor center, had another double, 13 and 11. Thomas, the athletic 6'7" forward, had a breakout game, scoring 23 points on 9-of-15 shooting, including 3-of-5 from deep, easily his best game.
The Armor, who could be welcoming Terrence Williams next week, couldn't get a shot off in the final seconds. A weeks ago, the Armor lost to the Texas Legends on a last second shot.
Tied at 81 with five minutes to play in regulation, the two teams seemed to go shot-for-shot down the final stretch. With Delaware leading by three, 92-89, Armor newcomer Larry Anderson drove to the basket, connecting on a hard-fought layup to pull Springfield within one. On their next possession, the Sevens turned the ball over via a jump ball, allowing the Armor to call a timeout with 5.1 seconds on the clock. With the ball and a one-point deficit, Springfield was never able to get off a final shot as Delaware hung on for its third victory of the season.
Former Armor guard Lorenzo Brown led the Sevens with 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting, while Nelson and Thanasis Antetokounmpo added 16 points apiece.
The Armor may have lost Gary Forbes for the foreseeable future to a knee injury. Forbes, 28, was leading the team in scoring, averaging 17.7 points per game over 11 games (10 starts) with the Armor. He was replaced by Larry Anderson, a 6'5" swingman from Long Beach State.
- Game Info: 87ers at Armor - D-League
- Springfield Armor fall 92-91 to Delaware 87ers - Erika Leigh - Springfield Republican