There were seven games last night, six of which had possible playoff implications by my count.  Rather than recapping all of them (because I only watched one and a half of them), I'll give you one recap and some other notes from the rest of the games.  Deal?

Austin Toros 104, Utah Flash 94 (Box Score)

• Curtis Jerrells led all scorers with 26 points, 14 of which came from the free-throw line.  Other than getting to the line I once again wasn't all that impressed with Jerrells.  In the first half he mostly kept the ball himself on the pick and roll and rarely involved his teammates (although that improved in the second half as he finished with six assists), and he shot 6-16 from the field.
• Eric Dawson would've been Austin's starting center after Dwayne Jones's call-up, but he apparently hurt his knee two nights ago and will be out for three weeks, essentially missing the playoffs.  Austin's other options are Luke Bonner (who, in addition to being Big Hugga, I've learned has the nickname "Bon-Bon") and David McClure.
• So let's talk about them.  Bonner was mostly matched up against Luke Nevill and Brian Jackson, and I thought he played decent defense.  He definitely needs to improve his rebounding, however, especially his timing.
• This might've been the best game David McClure has played all year.  He had four points (on a pair of dunks), eight rebounds and two blocks in about 24 and a half minutes, and generally looked less like a spaz than he sometimes does.  I'm still not crazy about his rebounding, as he tends to just tip the ball up rather than grabbing it cleanly, but this game certainly showed that there's talent to build on.
• Utah shot pretty poorly, 24 percent from outside and 38 percent overall.  Gabe Pruitt looked pretty good off the bench, with 19 points on 13 shots, and much better defense on Jerrells than the team was getting from Kevin Kruger.
• Luke Nevill was limited by foul trouble (four in less than 17 minutes), but I thought he still should've gotten more playing time in the second half.  Both because he would've forced the Toros to play Bonner, but also because it would've gotten Brian Hamilton off the court (2-12 shooting) and given Bennet Davis some easier defensive responsibilities.
• Oh, speaking of Hamilton, I'm pretty sure his family was at the game (he's from Angleton, TX, which is sort-of near Houston).  At one point in the second quarter he got called for two quick fouls and started jawing with Jerrells, and this group of people started screaming at Jerrells and the refs.  So that was fun.

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Initially, I was a little perturbed because I couldn't find highlights from the Fort Wayne Mad Ants at Springfield Armor game last night - I didn't watch the game, assuming like nearly every other game this season, they'd upload the highlights to the D-League's Youtube page.

But then I remembered one of the players in the game, Rob Kurz, has his own sweet set of highlights already - set to sweeter music.  Thankfully, I was able to use said highlights because he apparently dominated:

27 points on 10-of-11 shooting (the one miss was due to his 3-of-4 effort 3-point land), nine rebounds and three blocks with just one turnover in 41 minutes of action in a 100-83 victory for his Mad Ants.

What more is it going to take to get this guy a call-up?  Even Jeff Potter likes him!

On the season, Kurz is averaging 17.4 points and 10.1 rebounds while shooting 50% from the field and 44% from beyond the arc.

Tulsa 66ers 109, Austin Toros 104 (Box Score)

I was at this game in person, and it really wasn't a great game until the fourth quarter.  The Toros were up by 23 at one point, but the 66ers clawed their way back and won it.  The most impressive thing was that it was Tulsa's bench leading the way, not the four guys who either were drafted by the NBA or have NBA contracts now that were part of the starting lineup.

• Moses Ehambe shot 6-7 from outside in the fourth quarter, 8-11 for the game and 9-17 from the field overall to finish with 29 points.  He just kept getting open late, and he just couldn't miss.  (Okay, clearly he missed once.)
• Latavious Williams has made some real strides on offense over the course of the season.  He shot 6-10 (for 14 points) and had a nice little turnaround jumper in the third quarter.  He had some problems against Eddie Basden, but on the whole did a good job getting position inside, and he had a key steal with 11 seconds left and a rebound with two seconds left, both of which essentially sealed the game.
• Marcus Lewis' conditioning could improve, but on the whole I liked what I saw from him.  He moves better than you'd think for a guy with his size and he sets pretty good screens.  Lewis had six rebounds and tied for the team-high with five assists along with six points in about 24 and a half minutes.
• For the Toros, Marcus Williams finished with 27 points and 10 rebounds, and generally looked like the best player on the floor for most of the game, though he also had six turnovers while running the point only about 20 percent of the time (not an exact figure), missed all four of his three-point attempts and was one of the guys who let Ehambe run wild late in the game.
• Dwayne Jones finished with 19 points and 16 board, but was oddly quiet in the fourth quarter.  In general he played pretty good perimeter defense on Byron Mullens, much better than he has in the past.  He also had a nice spin move early on, but in general still needs to work on his touch around the rim.
• Curtis Jerrells handled the bulk of the point guard duties, at least until the fourth quarter when he split them with Squeaky Johnson and occasionally Williams, but he had a relatively quiet game with 10 points on eight shots, four assists, three rebounds and six turnovers.  He got called for a charge late in the game that gave the 66ers possession (and led to yet another Ehambe three), as well as a pair of carrying calls at different points and a five second violation.
• Circling back to the comeback, while I generally think that this season might represent an even better coaching job by Quin Snyder than last year when he won the D-League coach of the year award, I can't help but think this loss could be chalked up to Snyder's decision to go with a seven man rotation on the second game of a back-to-back.  The Toros also have played six games in the last eight days, and some of those missed shots in the fourth (Williams, Jerrells and Eddie Basden each missed their pair of attempts) probably could be attributed to tired legs.

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I played basketball (outside in the glorious 73 degrees of Bismarck, North Dakota heat) instead of watching basketball last night, so this morning you're only getting highlights and a few short box-score-reading blurbs.  You're welcome?

Utah Flash 143, Rio Grande Valley Vipers 137 (Box Score)

• Kevin Kruger was apparently the star of this game, finishing with 32 points (14 in overtime) on 7-of-12 shooting from the field and adding eight assists.  Ross Siler, beat writer for the Utah Jazz, was in attendance and tweeted afterward that "Kevin Kruger just had the kind of game that deserves a call-up."
• Former NBAer Orien Greene had 25 points and 10 rebounds, but also six turnovers and six fouls (that means he fouled out).
• Bennet Davis, who I would like to nominate for a most improved player award, finished with 16 points, eight boards, seven assists and two blocks from the power forward position.  With Carlos Wheeler out with a season-ending injury, Davis is going to have to keep contributing like this for the Flash to have a chance in the playoffs.
• For Rio Grande Valley, Will Conroy shot 10-of-14 from the field to finish with 28 points and added 10 assists before fouling out.  I'd consider this a pretty good game.
• Julian Sensley had 27 points and 11 rebounds.  This is what happens when Luke Nevill defends you and you can shoot.
  
• Antonio Anderson had 25 points, seven assists, five turnovers and three steals.  He's a rookie, but he'll be 25 by the time Summer League starts.  I was going to suggest a call-up based on his upside, but seriously - a nearly-25-year-old-rookie?

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Fort Wayne Mad Ants 108, Springfield Armor 88 (Box Score)

• With this loss, the Armor are guaranteed to win less than 10 games this year after already securing the worst ever D-League record.  Pro basketball is back in Springfield!
• Rob Kurz looked really good early on in the game, then didn't really have to do much in the second half as Fort Wayne pulled away.  He finished with 24 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, and was getting his points both inside and outside.  He played decent defense, too, but it was against the Armor so I don't know how much credit to give him for that.
• Oliver Lafayette actually led all scorers with 26 points, but a lot of that came while being guarded by Kyle McAlarney, who was awful.  Lafayette also had 11 assists, but as with Kurz, it's hard to know how much credit to give him given the competition.
• My point, if you haven't figured it out by now, is that the Armor are terrible.  Really, really terrible.
• Marcus Campbell finished with a double-double, 11 points and 11 rebounds, but that's because he's tall.  I did see one nice spin move from him, but mostly he has trouble finishing around the rim (he needed 12 shots to get those 11 points) and just releases the ball in the general direction of the rim rather than dunking it or laying it in.
• Ryan Ayers finished with 19 points, and I have no idea how since he missed five of his eight three-point attempts.  I did see him cutting to the basket at times, so I guess that's how.
• I like Abdulai Jalloh; he has some scoring ability and rebounds decently for his position.  He had a poor shooting night (2-7), but he seemed to be the only Armor player who was trying at certain points of the game.

Scott's Note: The other game that was supposed to happen last night (the game that mattered)  was postponed with a new date set for Sunday.  The D-League still tweeted the following: "@nbadleague: Playoff showdown in 5 min! @tulsa66ers lead @renobighorns by 1/2 game for final playoff spot" but it was removed shortly thereafter.  Terry Vandrovec notes that this delays the playoff pairings, but at least the Tulsa 66ers are safe from whatever "weather" delayed them.

Dakota Wizards 107, Iowa Energy 99 (Box Score)

• Dakota's Maurice Baker had two points entering the fourth quarter of a 79-79 tie game.  He finished the game with 18 points, eight boards and five assists.  While his final box score performance from the field won't impress anyone - 5-of-15 from the field - he did exactly what a veteran point guard is supposed to do: took over the game when his team needed him most.  He went on a 9-1 run by himself three 3-pointers inside of a two minute span to bring the Wizards back from a 95-91 deficit to a 100-96 lead with two minutes left in the game.  While we haven't talked much about the 30-year-old minor league veteran (he's had a few call-ups, though none since 2005), there aren't many players that are able to bring the veteran presence he brings to a game - whether it's facilitating the offense from the point guard position or scoring when the rest of the team is cold, he gets it done.
• Speaking of veteran presences, 31-year-old Corsley Edwards poured in 19 points and added nine rebounds in 29 minutes of action.  While the big man shot just 4-of-12 from the field, he hit 11-of-13 free-throw attempts to kind of even that out.  While I don't think Edwards has a shot at the NBA again, I'm really surprised that the Wizards were able to pick the former second round draft pick up in the middle of the season - there simply aren't that many big men in the D-League with the scoring acumen that Edwards brings to the table (I realize I'm saying this about a guy that just shot 4-of-12 from the field, but I guess you'd had to be there?).
• 27-year-old Renaldo Major gets my third star of the game award.  Formerly a super-sixth man, he's taken on a starting role as of late with usual-starter Romel Beck being released due to a hand injury.  While he shot just 6-of-16 from the field, he finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds, two steals and a block.  Having played for the Wizards since 2006 (save for the 2007-08 lost season when he had open seart surgery), Major brings another veteran presence to a team that seems to be loaded with savvy vets.
• Lester Hudson will be the other player I mention for the Wizards, even if it was one of the quieter games of his D-League career.  Don't get me wrong - he still produced - it was just a quieter 18 points in 20 minutes than I've been accustomed to seeing out of the rookie on assignment from the Memphis Grizzlies.  The other day, I tweeted that "Lester Hudson could be a lot better if he made just a few good decisions each game."  While that's a bit rough on the rookie, he could learn a lot by learning from Baker to do what the team needs him to do, rather than trying to be the hero and throwing up all kinds of alley-oops all game.

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This was your Versus game of the night, and the only one I was able to watch.  So this probably will be it for recaps.

• Los Angeles kept it close for most of the game before RGV opened it up in the fourth quarter.  Without resorting to name-based puns, the D-Fenders don't do much defending.  The Vipers were driving to the rim whenever they wanted and creating space for outside shots.
• Of course, RGV's defense wasn't great, either.  LA couldn't hit their threes, but shot almost 54 percent from the floor, and they were doing as much driving to the basket as the Vipers.  I'm going to blame it on playing the night before and being tired.
• Ernest Scott led the way for the Vipers with 25 points, and he hit seven of his 11 three-pointers.  I'm not really sure he ever dribbled the ball, either, it was all catch and shoot.
• Antonio Anderson had 19 points and 10 assists, but overall I wasn't blown away by his game.  He also had seven turnovers, and let both Dar Tucker and Ryan Forehan-Kelly get by him with regularity.
• Will Conroy had 24 points, seven rebounds and four assists, and he would've had even more assists if RGV's big men could catch the ball and finish properly.  Several passes were bobbled out of bounds or not caught cleanly, allowing a defender to get back.  Julian Sensley and Mickell Gladness combined to shoot 2-13, and that's just gross.
• For the D-Fenders, Tucker played very well off the bench with 26 points on 19 shots.  I know the D-Fenders have had some injuries this year, but coach Chucky Brown might have the most inconsistent rotation in the league.  A guy like Tucker will go from starting, to getting a DNP, to playing almost 27 minutes off the bench.
• Ryan Forehan-Kelly front-rimmed the potential game-tying three with a few seconds left in the game, and actually he missed all of his threes, but otherwise he played a solid game.  18 points, five rebounds, three assists, along with only one turnover.
• James Wright was huge in the second half, and finished with 24 points on 17 shots.  I like Wright; he's quick and he can shoot.  This was the perfect style of play for him.
• Gabriel Hughes was very good off the bench, with 16 points and 13 rebounds in a little less than 20 minutes.  He seemed to be the only one interested in getting back on defense at times, though he also had five fouls in that time.

Latavious Williams' box score is pretty good for a 21-year-old with hopes of being selected in this Summer's NBA Draft:

In 30:53 off of the bench, Williams scored 19 points on 9-of-13 shooting and grabbed 16 rebounds, five of which came on the offensive end.

Sure, he was matched up against Shagari Alleyne, Sasha Cuic and company, but that's still rather impressive.

On Thursday, NBA draft scout Ryan Blake (son of Marty) told SI.com's Paul Forrester the following about Williams draft prospects:

"What a team needs to decide is whether he is worth the risk because right now he is not close to being a sure thing. He has some versatility and athleticism, but he's still a raw individual who doesn't have a lot of game experience. And if people are going to invest in that, that's a tough decision.

"When you come around to a second-round guy, you want somebody who's ready. It doesn't matter how athletic you are, it still ends up being a team-concept game and you need to put the ball on the floor and make yourself an offensive threat or be a defensive stopper. And if there are other guys out there who are more ready, then teams are not going to take that risk on Williams."

While I agree with everything Ryan has to say, I wonder if a team might take a flier on Williams based on his athleticism and rebounding alone.  While he only averages seven points and 7.5 boards per game in less than 20 minutes of action per game, he's second in the entire D-League with rebounds per 48 minutes, trailing only Dwayne Jones.

With both Williams and Jeremy Wise (16.5 points, 5.2 assists, 53% FG) draft eligible, I wouldn't be surprised to see at least one D-League prospect drafted this Summer.

What do you think?