Tag: nba g league

Thunder rookie Keyontae Johnson dropped second 30-point game in G League

Thunder rookie Keyontae Johnson produced another 30-point game on Friday in the G League to lead the Blue to a win over the Spurs.

Oklahoma City Thunder rookie Keyontae Johnson produced another 30-point game on Friday in the G League to lead the OKC Blue to a win over the Austin Spurs.

Johnson recorded 31 points, six rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocked shots in the 120-101 victory at Paycom Center. He went 11-of-17 from the field, including 5-of-7 from 3-point range, in 31 minutes as the Blue improved to 10-11.

The 50th pick registered his second 30-point game with the performance. He scored 18 points in the second half as the Blue outscored the Spurs, 62-39, over the last two quarters to win.

Johnson, who is signed to a two-way contract, has spent most of the year in the G League. He is averaging 20.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.2 steals on 41.7% shooting from 3-point range in 26 games this season with the Blue.

The 23-year-old was among the players selected to compete in the G League Up Next Game at NBA All-Star Weekend as one of the standouts this season. He and the other players selected to the game had the opportunity to play and be recognized for their strong seasons.

Johnson previously earned praise from Thunder coach Mark Daigneault for his willingness to improve and work on his game daily. He has continued to show improvement, which was on display on Friday.

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Antoine Davis erupted for first career 40-point game in the G League

Antoine Davis became the 18th player in the G League this season to score at least 40 points in a game.

Rookie Antoine Davis erupted for a career performance in the G League on Thursday to lead the Rip City Remix to a victory on the road over the Wisconsin Herd.

Davis produced 41 points, four rebounds, two assists and one steal in 33 minutes in the 116-104 win. He went 15-of-28 from the field, including a career-high 9-of-17 from 3-point range, as the Remix improved to 11-8 in the regular season.

The undrafted guard from Detroit became the 18th player in the G League this season to score at least 40 points in a game. He is one of two players to reach that mark while connecting on at least nine 3s.

Davis, who finished as the second all-time scoring leader in the NCAA, played with the Portland Trail Blazers in the NBA Summer League. He was with the team during training camp before beginning the season with the Remix.

The 25-year-old is averaging 14.2 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists on 37.6% shooting from 3-point range in 34 games with the Remix. He ranks seventh in the G League in 3s (108) and is one of nine players to hit at least nine in a game this season.

Davis established himself as one of the best scorers at the collegiate level at Detroit and has shown that ability in spurts with the Remix. He put on a show on Thursday and had one of the best-scoring performances in the G League this year.

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Pelicans draftee Karlo Matkovic to join Birmingham Squadron in G League

Karlo Matkovic, the 52nd pick in the 2022 NBA draft by the Pelicans, will reportedly join the Birmingham Squadron in the G League.

Karlo Matkovic, the 52nd pick in the 2022 NBA draft by the New Orleans Pelicans, will reportedly join the Birmingham Squadron in the G League, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

Matkovic, who was born in Bosnia and Herzegovina, has played the past two seasons with KK Cedevita Olimpija in Slovenia. He averaged 15.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.4 blocks and 1.1 steals on 63% shooting from the field in 34 games this season.

The 6-foot-10 forward played with the Pelicans in the NBA Summer League last year, averaging seven points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.3 blocks, one assist and one steal in four appearances. He had his best game on July 11: 13 points, five rebounds and three blocks.

The Pelicans hold the draft rights to Matkovic and opted to have him start with the Squadron, who have 13 games left in the regular season. He could finish the season in the G League and then join the Pelicans for the postseason.

Matkovic has also represented Croatia in several international events, most recently in the 2022 FIBA EuroBasket. He averaged six points and 3.5 rebounds on 77.8% shooting from the field in six appearances as Croatia finished in 12th place.

The 22-year-old is highly touted for his ability on both ends of the court. He has great mobility at his size and can run the floor well on offense and protect the paint on defense. He has shown improvement with his shot, converting 42.6% shooting from 3-point range this season.

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NBA Slam Dunk Contest: Mac McClung goes back-to-back to win trophy

Mac McClung defeated Jaylen Brown in the Slam Dunk Contest on Saturday to take home the trophy for the second straight year.

Osceola Magic guard Mac McClung defeated Boston Celtics All-Star Jaylen Brown in the Slam Dunk Contest on Saturday to take home the trophy for the second straight year in Indianapolis, Indiana.

McClung and Brown advanced to the final round after out-dunking Miami Heat rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. and New York Knicks rookie Jacob Toppin. He was awarded a perfect score of 50 by the judges in his second dunk of the final round to defeat Brown.

The defending champion brought out Shaquille O’Neal for his last dunk. McClung presented O’Neal with one of his high school jerseys, which fit the Hall of Famer perfectly, and then jumped over him, slamming the ball through the rim.

The competition featured several notable dunks and tributes. Jaquez paid homage to his Mexican heritage on one dunk, with an assist from the LED court, and Toppin wore the same shoes his brother, Obi, wore when he won the contest in 2022.

Brown honored former Kentucky guard Terrence Clarke, who died in a car accident in April 2021. The All-Star has honored Clarke in the past and donned his No. 5 Brewster Academy jersey with his first dunk of the final round.

The evening featured plenty of reaction from the crowd at Lucas Oil Stadium. The panel of judges, which featured Gary Payton and Dominique Wilkins, took some heat for seemingly grading too low on some dunks, which was noted by Reggie Miller and Kenny Smith on TNT.

Despite some low moments from the judges, the event produced several highlight-worthy jams that provided plenty of entertainment. Here are all of the dunk attempts from the four contestants.

Projected lottery pick Ron Holland to remain with Ignite after season-ending injury

G League Ignite forward Ron Holland will miss the remainder of the season due to an injury.

G League Ignite forward Ron Holland told Marc J. Spears of Andscape on Saturday that he will miss the remainder of the season due to a right thumb injury.

Holland sustained the injury on Jan. 31 in a win over the Iowa Wolves. He has missed the past five games and was ruled out of participating in the NBA Rising Stars game on Friday. The Ignite have 13 games left to play and conclude their schedule on March 28.

The 19-year-old is expected to make a full recovery from the injury in time to go through the pre-draft process. He plans to finish the season with the Ignite as an injured player.

Holland averaged 19.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.4 steals on 45.5% shooting from the field in 29 games. He leads the Ignite in scoring and registered four 30-point games, including a career-high 32 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and six steals on Dec. 1.

The 6-foot-4 forward is projected to be a lottery pick in the 2024 NBA draft, given his potential and overall skill set. He looked to be settling in with the Ignite prior to the injury, resulting in some strong performances over the past month.

Holland will have the opportunity to improve his draft stock by interviewing and working out with teams after the conclusion of the season. He is one of seven draft-eligible prospects this year on the Ignite.

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NBA Rising Stars 2024: Bennedict Mathurin unanimously named MVP to lead Team Jalen to title

Pacers sophomore Bennedict Mathurin was unanimously named MVP of the 2024 NBA Rising Stars game to lead Team Jalen to the championship.

Indiana Pacers sophomore Bennedict Mathurin on Friday was unanimously named MVP of the 2024 NBA Rising Stars game to lead Team Jalen to the championship in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Mathurin produced 18 points in the opening game as Team Jalen defeated Team Tamika. He had four points, two assists and one steal in a 26-13 win in the final over Team Detlef, which consisted of seven of the top players in the G League.

While Mathurin did the bulk of the scoring in the semifinal round, Dereck Lively II had six points and Jordan Hawkins and Jalen Williams each chipped in five points in the final. Williams drained the game-winning 3-pointer to end it for Team Jalen.

The event featured four seven-player teams competing in a three-game tournament for the third straight year. The two semifinal games were played to a target score of 40, and the championship game was played to a target score of 25.

The pool of players for the game consisted of 11 rookies, 10 second-year players and seven players from the G League. The players from the NBA were selected by assistant coaches and the players from the G League were selected by the league office.

The four teams were coached by Hall of Famer Pau Gasol, Indiana Fever legend Tamika Catchings and former Pacers standouts Jalen Rose and Detlef Schrempf, who led the G League team.

Here is how the teams performed in the event.

Cavaliers’ Emoni Bates named as injury replacement in Rising Stars game

Cavaliers rookie Emoni Bates has been named an injury replacement player in the NBA Rising Stars game on Friday.

Cleveland Cavaliers rookie Emoni Bates has been named an injury replacement player in the NBA Rising Stars game on Friday in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Bates, who is signed to a two-way contract, will replace G League Ignite guard Ron Holland, who is dealing with a thumb injury. He will take his place on the G League team, which also features Matas Buzelis, Mac McClung and Oscar Tshiebwe.

The 49th pick is averaging 21.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists and one steal on 39% shooting from 3-point range in 21 games with the Cleveland Charge in the G League. He has produced three 30-point games, including a season-high 38 points on Jan. 6.

The Rising Stars game will feature four seven-player teams competing in a three-game tournament for the third straight year. The two semifinal games will be played to a target score of 40. The championship game will be played to a target score of 25.

The pool of players for the game consists of 11 rookies, 10 second-year players and seven players from the G League. The 21 players in the NBA were drafted onto three teams and the seven players in the G League comprise the fourth team.

Hall of Famer Pau Gasol returns as one of the four honorary head coaches for the event. Joining Gasol are Indiana Fever legend Tamika Catchings and former Indiana Pacers standouts Jalen Rose and Detlef Schrempf, who will lead the G League team.

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Thunder to sign former Baylor standout Adam Flagler to two-way contract

Former Baylor standout Adam Flagler will reportedly sign a two-way contract with the Thunder.

Former Baylor standout Adam Flagler will reportedly sign a two-way contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Flagler, who went undrafted last year, has spent the season with the OKC Blue in the G League, averaging 12.9 points, 3.7 rebounds and three assists on 40.4% shooting from 3-point range in 15 games. He has scored in double figures 10 times, including three 20-point games.

The Thunder had an open two-way contract spot available after converting third-year guard Lindy Waters III to a standard contract on Friday. The team now has Flagler, Keyontae Johnson and Olivier Sarr signed to two-way contracts.

Flagler was a unanimous All-Big 12 first-team selection last season as a senior after averaging 15.6 points, 4.6 assists, 2.4 rebounds and 1.2 steals on 40% shooting from 3-point range. He finished second in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.7) and 3-point percentage.

He arrived at Baylor during the 2020-21 season and helped lead the team to the national title after transferring from Presbyterian. He finished 23rd on the career scoring list (1,181) at Baylor after three seasons, ninth in 3-pointers (201) and second in 3-point percentage (40.2).

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Grizzlies sign undrafted center Trey Jemison to two-way contract

Former UAB center Trey Jemison signed a two-way contract with the Grizzlies on Friday.

Trey Jemison, who went undrafted out of UAB in the 2023 NBA draft, signed a two-way contract with the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday, the team announced.

The news was first reported by Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

Jemison started the year in the G League with the Birmingham Squadron, averaging 10.9 points, 11.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.5 blocks in 25 games. He signed a 10-day contract with the Washington Wizards on Jan. 20 and joined the Grizzlies on a 10-day contract on Jan. 30.

The Grizzlies were able to sign Jemison to a two-way contract after they upgraded rookie GG Jackson to a standard contract. They also have Jacob Gilyard and Scotty Pippen Jr. signed to two-way contracts.

Jemison is averaging 5.8 points, four rebounds and 1.3 blocks on 47.6% shooting from the field in four appearances with the Grizzlies. He produced his best outing on Tuesday in a loss to New York: 12 points, six rebounds, two assists and two blocks.

The 24-year-old emerged as one of the top frontcourt players in the G League this season with the Squadron. He generated plenty of buzz among teams at the G League Winter Showcase in December and was viewed as one of the top call-up candidates.

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Pacers’ Isaiah Wong selected as replacement in G League Up Next Game

Pacers rookie Isaiah Wong has been selected as an injury replacement in the G League Up Next Game during NBA All-Star Weekend.

Indiana Pacers rookie Isaiah Wong has been selected as an injury replacement in the G League Up Next Game during NBA All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The event features four teams of seven players competing in two semifinal games. The 28 players include 10 selected by a fan vote, while the remaining 18 players were selected by the G League and include members of the Ignite and Indiana Mad Ants as the host team.

Wong, who is signed to a two-way contract, will replace Toronto Raptors rookie Markquis Nowell, who is dealing with a left hamstring strain. He will be teammates with Luka Garza (Wolves), Tyler Smith (Ignite) and Cole Swider (Skyforce).

Wong is averaging 15.8 points, four assists and 3.5 rebounds on 41.4% shooting from the field in 30 games with the Mad Ants. He has produced seven 20-point games, including a career-high 30 points and four assists on Nov. 25.

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