BIG3 Basketball League 2022: Predictions for Top Players on Week 2 Schedule

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Joe Johnson picked up right where he left off during the opening weekend of the 2022 BIG3 season. And that shouldn’t have surprised anybody.

“Iso Joe” dominated the Ice Cube-founded 3-on-3 basketball league in his first two seasons in 2019 and 2021, leading the Triplets to the championship in the former and being named the BIG3 MVP both years. Now, he’s off to a strong start to 2022.

Last weekend, Johnson scored 30 points and powered the Triplets to a season-opening 51-45 win over Trilogy, the defending BIG3 champions. On Saturday, Johnson will lead the Triplets against the Aliens, who also began the campaign with a victory.

That’s one of three BIG3 games taking place Saturday at Credit Union 1 Arena in Chicago, which will then be followed by three more on Sunday.

Here’s a look at the full Week 2 BIG3 slate, along with predictions for several top players for this weekend.

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Saturday, June 25 (Starts at 1 p.m. ET)
Game 1: Tri State (0-1) vs. 3’s Company (1-0)
Game 2: Triplets (1-0) vs. Aliens (1-0)
Game 3: Ghost Ballers (1-0) vs. Ball Hogs (0-1)

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Sunday, June 26 (Starts at 3 p.m. ET)
Game 1: 3 Headed Monsters (0-1) vs. Power (1-0)
Game 2: Enemies (0-1) vs. Bivouac (0-1)
Game 3: Killers 3s (1-0) vs. Trilogy (0-1)

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Johnson’s 30 points in the Triplets’ season-opener were the most scored by any player during the first weekend of the season. And he did that even though he wasn’t having one of his better shooting days from long range.

In the victory over Trilogy, Johnson went 5-for-17 on shots outside the paint. However, he shot 7-for-8 close to the basket. Among those seven made field goals in the paint was the game-winning shot. Johnson also had eight rebounds—only two BIG3 players had more during opening weekend.

So, what does Johnson have in store for Week 2? It’s likely to be more of the same, except there’s a good chance he’ll get his jump shot working. The Triplets will need him to lead the way against the Aliens, who started the season with an impressive 52-44 win over the Enemies.

The Aliens may be a solid team, but they’ll have no answer for Johnson (as few teams in the BIG3 do). Expect another big performance by Johnson to lead the Triplets to a 2-0 start.

Prediction: Johnson tallies 31 points and six rebounds

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Green wasted no time making an impact in his debut BIG3 campaign. The Bivouac captain had 26 points and a league-high nine rebounds, although his team fell 50-47 to 3’s Company in its season-opener.

Still, it was an impressive showing by the 36-year-old Green, who previously played 12 seasons in the NBA. He also made four three-pointers, tied with three other players for the most in the BIG3 last weekend.

This week, Bivouac is taking on the Enemies, who also lost their first game of the season. So it could be an opportunity for Bivouac to bounce back and notch its first victory of 2022.

Green should do his part, as it’s clear he was the right choice to serve as Bivouac’s captain this season. He’ll likely have another big scoring output to help lead the team to victory on Sunday.

Prediction: Green tallies 28 points, makes three 3-pointers

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Green wasn’t the only impressive BIG3 rookie featured in the season-opening matchup between Bivouac and 3’s Company. There was also Michael Beasley, who made his debut in the league serving as a co-captain for 3’s Company.

Not only did Beasley help lead 3’s Company to victory, but he put on quite a show. The 33-year-old scored 26 points (tied with Green for third-most in the league) and was the only player in the BIG3 to make two four-pointers during opening weekend.

It seemed like Beasley’s skill set would be a great fit for this style of play, and that proved to be the case. Playing alongside former Miami Heat teammate Mario Chalmers (who had 10 points, six rebounds and five assists in the opener), Beasley appears poised for a big year with 3’s Company.

That should continue this week when 3’s Company takes on Tri State on Saturday. Don’t be surprised if Beasley builds off his debut and keeps getting stronger as the season goes on.

Prediction: Beasley tallies 28 points, hits another four-pointer