For Tulsa 66ers point guard Tony Taylor, he and his team have a simple goal for Wednesday's NBA Development League playoff opener.
"Win," Taylor said with a smile. "We have to come together, share the ball, and play as a team."
Taylor will be one of the focal points of Tulsa's offensive attack when the 66ers take the court to open the playoffs against the Canton Charge inside the SpiritBank Event Center. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
Fourth-seeded Canton (30-20) and seventh-seeded Tulsa (27-23) will meet in a best-of-three opening-round playoff matchup, with the 66ers hosting the first game of the series. The series then shifts to Canton, Ohio, where the Charge host Game 2 on Friday night as well as Game 3 (if necessary) on Sunday.
Taylor has scored in double-digits in seven of Tulsa's last nine games, including 14 points in Tulsa's regular-season-ending 101-87 win over Fort Wayne.
"I've been in the right spot at the right time," Taylor said. "As a point guard, it's nice to have a lot of players on this team that can score and finish. We have a lot of weapons and my teammates have been encouraging me to score more as well."
Some of those weapons available to Taylor and the 66ers include three assignees from the Oklahoma City Thunder. Forward Perry Jones and guards Jeremy Lamb and DeAndre Liggins will all be in uniform for Tulsa on Wednesday night.
Heading into the playoffs, Tulsa coach Darko Rajakovic wants to see his team play with solid fundamentals.
"We just need to be focused on playing good basketball and playing without pressure," said Rajakovic. "Those guys have already had great success. For these guys, this whole journey and process was very rewarding. Now it's time to enjoy the playoffs and see what every game will bring. We'll go step-by-step, game-by-game, and we'll see."
With Canton's leading scorer Kyle Gibson out for the playoffs with a broken bone in his wrist, the Charge will rely on forward Arinze Onuaku, who averages 12.6 points and 9.5 rebounds, and point guard Jorge Gutierrez, who averages 10.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 4.7 assists.
Former 66er and Thunder guard Kyle Weaver is also being counted on to step up in Gibson's absence. Weaver ended the season strong, posting a season-high 29 points last Friday, then followed that with the first triple-double in Charge history with 16 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists in Saturday's regular-season finale.
Tulsa is 1-2 against the Charge this season, beating Canton 99-91 at home on Dec. 22. The Charge won twice in Ohio the following week, downing Tulsa 104-96 and 89-80.
Original Print Headline: 66ers play Canton in Game 1 of playoffs
Related Items
D-League playoffs
Tulsa vs. Canton
Game 1: 7 p.m. Wednesday
SpiritBank Event Center
Radio: KAKC am1300
Pro - 66ers
The Tulsa 66ers of the NBA Development League have announced plans for an open tryout.
The Tulsa 66ers of the NBA Development League tip off their season with back-to-back home games Nov. 22-23 against the Iowa Energy.
