Chennai Slam will face Delhi Capitals in the finals after thrashing Pune Peshwas 97-79 in Game 3 of the UBA Pro Basketball League semifinals. Shooting guard Cammy Carmel gave a starring performance with 27 points and 7 assists as he lead the Slam to a second successive final.
After failing to kill off their opponents in Game 2, Chennai Slam were determined not to make a similar mistake this time around. They downed basket after basket in a blistering start to the game with Cammy Carmel and Ashutosh prominent among the scorers. Nigerian star Chukwunanu Agu also chipped in with his fast counters and then had a beautiful triple go in before the first timeout at 04:35 with Chennai leading 15-6.
Pune's go-to man Narendar Grewal once again led his team by amazing drives and layups to keep the score respectable. But Chennai's Gopal then turned on the heat to score 9 points in the final four minutes to end the quarter with Chennai leading 26-16.
The second quarter started intensely and Siddhanth Shinde showed his skill scoring a couple of triples early on. Even though Narendar and Ajinkya Mehta upped their game, Pune still found the going very tough against the offensive force of Chennai. Gopal finished well, taking the scoreline higher with a 100% accuracy in the quarter. Agu and Arjun were also effective with Chennai going on to finish the quarter leading 47-35.
Both teams came on with a spirited outlook and an end-to-end battle ensued. For Pune, Indian international Narender was on fire as usual, downing multiple layups with ease while on the other side, veteran Gopal kept Chennai's comfortable lead intact with a superb show, scoring 9 points in the quarter, winning rebounds and leading the line.
But as the quarter progressed, Cammy Carmel took on the mantle with a fantastic show as Pune went on a decline. Cammy sank a triple and contributed with 9 points, while also spraying the ball around with confidence. Pune was left without an answer and the third quarter ended with Chennai taking a whopping 77-49 lead.
The final quarter started like the third ended, with Chennai maintaining the big lead while Pune tried hard to muster a comeback. But the comeback was always going to be a difficult challenge for the Peshwas.
Even with Siddanth Shinde scoring an amazing five triples, Pune couldn't catch up with the lean mean Chennai scoring machine. Cammy dictated play once again making scoring opportunities for his teammates including Gopal and also youngster Arjun GK who came off the bench for another great cameo. Chennai then held on for a big 97-79 win.
Chennai Slam (Cammy Carmel 27pts 7asts 6stls, Gopal Ram 26pts, Arjun GK 15pts 10rbs, Chukwunanu Agu 14pts 8asts) bt Pune Peshwas (Siddhanth Shinde 29pts, Narender Grewal 24pts 10rbs, Ajinkya Mehta 12pts 9rbs) 97-76 (26-16, 21-19, 30-14, 20-27)
