Reggie Lights Up Minneapolis

The Nashville Miracle went into Minneapolis and left no doubt, rolling to a 128-98 win that was effectively settled before halftime. Reggie led the way with 30 points on 11-of-15 from the field and a near-perfect 8-of-9 clip from three-point range, posting a plus-minus of plus-20 in 29 minutes. Strong added 24 points and 10 rebounds on 10-of-17 shooting, and Nashville's second unnamed contributor dropped 21 points and 12 boards on 9-of-11 from the floor. The Miracle put up 128 points with four players scoring in double figures and nobody forcing the issue.

The game turned, if it ever needed turning, on Nashville's ability to generate clean threes at will. Reggie's eight makes from deep set the tone: the Express defense had no answer for the spacing, and every drive that drew a close-out left a corner shooter open. By the time Minneapolis made any kind of run, the deficit was already in the mid-twenties. The Express's best performer finished at minus-6 despite shooting 4-of-7 with three threes, which tells the story of how the game went for that side.

Reggie was the defining force. Eight-of-nine from three is the kind of line that makes opposing coaches pull out their rotations and stare at them afterward. He kept his turnover count at one, added a rebound, a steal, and a block, and was on the floor for under 30 minutes because the game allowed Nashville to sit him. The game score of 26.6 was the highest on either team by a significant margin.

Strong was the complementary piece worth watching. He hauled in 10 rebounds, hit three-of-five from deep, and scored 24 on a forward's diet of mid-range and perimeter shots, though four turnovers kept his line from being clean. Nashville's unnamed but effective supporting cast filled in the rest: two more contributors posted double-doubles or near-double-doubles, and the team's ball movement generated clean looks throughout.

Minneapolis has some film to study. The Express gave up 128 points and shot under 40 percent as a team, and their top contributor was on the floor for just 24 minutes before the game stopped being competitive. Nashville, meanwhile, has found something here: four credible scoring options, a shot-maker who can go 8-of-9 from three, and a rebounding edge that kept second-chance opportunities off the table for the other side. The Miracle looked like a team that beat you before you figured out how.