Vipers Open Title Defense With Win

The defending NBA Development League champion Rio Grande Valley Vipers opened up their title defense with a 123-115 win over the Texas Legends on Thursday at State Farm Arena in front of a crowd of 5,382.

Terrel Harris got off to a hot start for the Vipers (1-0), hitting a pair of threes and a lay-up to keep the Vipers even with the Legends (0-1). Harris hit three three-pointers in the fourth quarter as well to help the Vipers pull away, finishing with 19 points.

The Vipers trailed for much of the first half, but Richard Roby hit a pair of free throws to give the Vipers a 58-57 lead with 1:40 remaining in the second quarter.

Roby led all scorers with 31 points on 12-of-20 shooting, including 4-for-5 from behind the arc. He also had eight rebounds.

The Vipers jumped out to an 82-73 lead in the third quarter. After the Legends climbed to within two points at 85-83, Mickell Gladness came alive, scoring eight points in the final 2:42 to give the Vipers a 95-87 lead after tipping in a missed shot at the buzzer.

Gladness recorded a double-double with 13 points, 10 rebounds and three blocked shots.

The Legends were led by Justin Dentmon, who scored 12 points on 8-of-10 shooting, including 3-for-3 from behind the arc. Antonio Daniels scored 19 points with seven rebounds and seven assists while Kelvin Lewis finished with 18 points and six assists.

The Vipers return to action on Saturday, November 27 at 12:00 p.m. when they face the Austin Toros at the Cedar Park Center.

The Rio Grande Valley Vipers are the NBA Development League affiliate of the NBA Houston Rockets. The NBA Development League, founded in 2001, is the NBA’s official minor league and features 16 teams with direct affiliations to NBA teams. 63 former NBA Development League players were on 2009-10 NBA start-of-season rosters, amounting to almost 15 percent of NBA players, and the league continues to develop coaches, referees, and front office staff for the NBA and its teams. In fostering the league’s connection to the community, its teams, players and staff promote health and wellness, support local needs and interests, and assist in educational development through NBA Development League Cares programs. The NBA Development League also advances the game of basketball as the research and development arm of the NBA. Throughout the season fans can watch all NBA Development League games on NBA Futurecast, the free live Web-streaming initiative found at nba.com/futurecast.