Rockets assignees Daishen Nix and and Trevelin Queen led the way for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Houston’s G League affiliate) in Tuesday’s Game 1 of the 2022 NBA G League Finals. With those two combining to score 75 points, the host Vipers defeated the Delaware Blue Coats (Philadelphia’s affiliate) by a commanding 145-128 margin (box score).
The win in Game 1 of the best-of-three series moves the Vipers to within one game of their fourth G League title in club history (and the first since 2019). Game 2 is Thursday in Wilmington, Delaware, with a 7:00 p.m. CST tipoff on ESPNEWS. If necessary, a winner-take-all Game 3 would be played on Sunday, April 17, at the Vipers’ home in Edinburg, Texas.
Nix, an undrafted rookie point guard from the NBA’s 2021 class, had a triple-double with 31 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists in 38 minutes, including 4-of-10 on 3-pointers (40.0%). The 6-foot-4 guard, who is only 20 years old, is on a four-year contract with the Rockets (salaries).
Meanwhile, Queen scored a game-high 44 points on 15-of-24 shooting (62.5%) and 7-of-12 on 3-pointers (58.3%). That scoring total was the second-most of any game in G League Finals history. The 6-foot-6 wing is on a two-way contract, making him a restricted free agent this offseason and giving Houston the right to match any outside offer and retain his services. The 25-year-old was recently named G League MVP.
Anthony Lamb, who is also on a two-way contract with the Rockets, had his own triple-double with 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. He struggled as a shooter, going 2-of-9 (22.2%) and 0-of-4 on 3-pointers.
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