Hyderabad Sky’s cup of woes stands in danger of running over after their third straight defeat in the third season of the UBA Pro Basketball League.
Hyderabad, who had lost to Punjab Steelers a week ago, were soundly beaten 93-107 by Chennai Slam and followed that up with a 99-109 loss to Pune Peshwas. With the win, Chennai Slam have bagged the top spot in the South Division of the league.
Jairam starred for the Slam with 31 points and was on song right from the start, delivering in a must-win game for his team. Both teams were coming on the heels of losses in their previous games, and were quick to make their attacking intent clear in the early stages of the match.
Sky and Slam went toe-to-toe in the first quarter, with Hyderabad’s star player Manu Thomas leading most of their forays while Agu’s speed was a big asset for Chennai.
At the end of the first quarter, Chennai Slam led Hyderabad Sky 32-29. The second quarter saw the same tempo on display, with Jairam making further inroads. By the end of the second quarter, Chennai had a 10-point lead at 64-54.
The third quarter was also fast-paced as the Chennai side raced to a 14 point lead before Hyderabad woke up and managed to trim the deficit, keeping the game within reach.
However, Agu’s superior skill on the court meant that Chennai always had their noses in front, finishing the third quarter 88-76. Chennai upped the ante in the fourth quarter, adding 19 points and gave away 17 for victory by a 14-point margin.
Later, the imperious Pune Peshwas got the better of Hyderabad by a 10-point margin. This was also the third game in a row where Pune scored over a 100 points.
The Peshwas led 27-22 in the first quarter and both teams, having already qualified for the playoffs, took the opportunity to experiment with their strategies.
Hyderabad cut the lead down to just a point, 52-53, in the second quarter and went up 79-77 in the third quarter. But Pune won the game 109-99.
