Stockton Kings guard Colby Jones (20) takes a jump shot over the Grand Rapids Gold forward Spencer Jones (21) at Adventist Health Arena on Thu Jan 30, 2025 in game 2 of their two game set (Stockton Kings X photo)

By William Espy

STOCKTON–The Stockton Kings hosted the Grand Rapids Gold for the second straight game on Thursday night, as they looked to get revenge for a disappointing loss on Tuesday. Revenge is what they got with a 111-106 win to split the two game set at Adventist Health Arena.

The Gold got out to an early lead, much like they did on Tuesday night. However, the Kings took control of the game in the second and third quarters, allowing themselves to head into the final frame with a lead. Ultimately, the Kings would hold onto their lead and walk away with a 111-106 victory, and as a result, they were returning to their winning ways. The Kings have been dominant at home, and Thursday night’s victory improved their home record to 8-2, while their overall record improved to 12-3

The Kings’ top standout was, unsurprisingly, Colby Jones, who went 13-17 from the field and scored a total of 34 points. Their two representatives in the upcoming G League Up Next Game, Isaac Jones and Skal Labissiere also had strong performances. Jones had a double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds while Labissiere was very efficient going 7-10 from the field and finishing with 14 points.

The Kings had four players finish in double-digits for points, the lone starter to not achieve the feat was Isaiah Crawford who finished just short, with nine points on the night.

Trey Alexander led the Gold in scoring, ending the night going 12-19 which resulted in him recording 31 points in the losing effort. Meanwhile, Spencer Jones finished with 26 points and just narrowly missed out on a double-double of his own, finishing with nine rebounds on the night.

The main difference between Thursday night’s outing and Tuesday’s was that the Kings’ shot selection was a lot better and as a result their efficiency was much higher. It is worth noting that Dexter Dennis didn’t play after a collision below the basket on Tuesday, however, he was on the roster just listed as inactive.

The Kings won’t get much time to rest, as they’ll be back in action Friday night as they host the Windy City Bulls. As the Kings look to extend their lead in the Western Conference and pull away from the second-place Austin Spurs, they’ll need another strong performance against an Eastern Conference opponent tomorrow night. The Bulls are currently 15th in the east, but as the Kings’ performance on Tuesday showed, anybody can win on any given night in the G League.