Cleveland Oh. – The Cleveland Charge opened their season against the Wisconsin Herd tonight and won 116-109. After falling behind by 14, the Charge stormed back to take the lead and never let it go in the third quarter. Coach Mike Gerrity said “I thought the first half was sloppy and we seemed disinterested as far as our competitive nature. The attention to detail we didn’t have, and I gave the guys a hard time at half because that was the story of last season as well. Starting slow.” At the half, the Herd was up 58-50 and the Charge looked to be headed for a disappointing night. But Emoni Bates, the 49th pick in this past draft caught fire from three and the charge stormed back.
Emoni has been the talk of the town. The heralded rookie was given his first opportunity to play meaningful minutes tonight. And he did what he does. Scoring 29 points. He went 7 for 12 from three. He was the spark in the second half. Five of the seven threes came in the second half, with three of them coming in the third quarter. It was good to see him in this element. Emoni was all smiles but still said he needs to work on his defense. He graded himself a “B.” but when you break the game open and hit 7 threes…. It’s hard for anyone to give you a “B.”
29 PTS 🔥 10/16 FG 🔥 7/12 3PT
Emoni Bates is SPECIAL! The rookie scored a game-high tonight to lead the @ChargeCLE to victory in his G League debut. pic.twitter.com/uHNiOEz7A1
— NBA G League (@nbagleague) November 11, 2023
Emoni showed why he is such a special prospect tonight. Are there areas of improvement? YES! But the level of shot making is elite. Bates can get his shot up, and the confidence is there. The work is there. And the teammates are pushing him to be the scorer he is. Having a team that won the Summer League championship and having guys like Sharife Cooper (16/8 assist) and Isaiah Mobley (23/12 rebounds) to lean on help. All 5 starters scored in double figures as the Charge start the season 1-0. The team is loaded. The team has shot making, and defense throughout the roster. Emoni is in his element as a star player. A featured player. This has the making of a special season for the Charge. But for now, 1-0.
Up next
The Charge will host the Wisconsin Herd on Sunday at 6pm.
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