The second game played on 15 December 2016 was played between the Kingdom Ballers and NHA Hawks.  I was anxious to see the game because the Kingdom Ballers have the players to challenge the league's best team, if all the players are on-hand.  The Hawks are known to make decisions about their lineup of "superstars" based on the team they are scheduled to play.  Their major "superstar" is Quentin Leonard whom most players consider to be the best player in the league averaging 33 points per game.  He is an unstoppable "Human machine".  Well, the Hawks reported with their entire squad minus Quentin Leonard.  The Kingdom Ballers were fortunate to have their major "superstar" (Lamont Shuford) in the lineup.

The game started with the Ballers winning the tip-off, but did not score.  Neither team started the game with a hot hand.  We watched both teams make turnover and miss shots one possession after another for almost three minutes before the Hawks, Tre Tells (#21), scored on a layup for two points.  That broke the cold streak, for both teams, because Lamont Shuford (#45) rose up to score three points from beyond the arc.  That one point lead stayed with the Kingdom Ballers for the rest of the first half.  Lamont Shuford scored 13 points and secured 13 rebounds to lead the Kingdom Ballers.  He was accompanied by (#21) Wason Davis who scored 11 points and 3 rebounds.  The Kingdom Ballers grabbed 21 rebounds, in the first half, compared to 19 by the Hawks.  Kevin Douglas (#22) and Shaun Jenkins (#33) combined for 16 points for the Hawks.  Shaun Jenkins is becoming a rising superstar, for the Hawks as well as for the league.  He secured five rebounds to help the Hawks stay in the game.  The Hawks leading rebounder was Ernest Adams (#34) who grabbed six rebounds.  Though the Hawks were doing well, rebounding, their scoring was obliviously flat.  I don't know if that had to do with falling behind without having Leonard available to bail them out.  The Kingdom Ballers showed the Hawks and the rest of us that they came to win.  The Kingdom Ballers secured the first half with a 34 - 24 point lead.

The second half would turn into a battle because the Hawks were trailing and needed a win to support their image and or decision-making about the lineup.  Six Kingdom Ballers scored with Wason Davis leading the team with 10 points along with eight points from Willie Haynes (#31), Antonio Harris (#22), and Lamont Shuford (#11) respectively.  The Hawks had five players to score with Kevin Douglas (#22) leading his team with 13 points along with 12 points from (#15) Kenyatta Hardge and 9 points from (#33) Shaun Jenkins.  With 9:06 minutes remaining in the game, the Kingdom Ballers held a 62 - 46 point lead over the Hawks.  The Hawks led the Kingdom Ballers, in rebounding, 19 - 16.  Both teams played an almost even second half by scoring 42 points, each.  The Hawks failed to erase the first half deficit and lost their second game of the season 76 - 66.

The scorers for the Hawks were:  (#34) Ernest Adams with 8 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 steals; (#21) Tre Tells with 6 point, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 steals; (#22) Kevin Douglas with 22 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals; (#15) Kenyatta Hardge with 14 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 steals; and (#33) Shaun Jenkins with 16 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, and 3 steals.

The scorers for the Kingdom Ballers were:  (#31) Willie Haynes with 11 points and 2 rebounds; (#5) Christopher Mathis with 5 points, 2 assists, and 3 steals; (#22) Antonio Harris with 13 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 4 steals; (#32) Santonio Howard with 2 points, 3 rebounds, 1 block, 3 assists, and 1 steal; (#11) Lamont Shuford with 21 points, 21 rebounds, 1 block, 2 assists, and 2 steals; (#34) Antonio Anthony with 3 points, 1 block, and 2 assists; and (#21) Wason Davis with 21 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal.