Category: G-League

G League Action: Santa Cruz Starts Fast but Third-Quarter Collapse Sinks the Night 131-118

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Tough night for the Santa Cruz Warriors who dominated by the Rip City Remix on Sat Nov 8, 2025 (Santa Cruz Warriors photo)

Santa Cruz Starts Fast but Third-Quarter Collapse Sinks the Night 131-118

By Brien Gingrich, Santa Cruz Voice

SANTA CRUZ–6:59 PM. Kaiser Permanente Arena hums again for night two of the back-to-back. This time, Santa Cruz opens with control and confidence.

1st Quarter. The Warriors jump out 5–0 before Rip City even finds the rim. They move the ball crisply, attack early, and keep the crowd engaged from the start. Santa Cruz leads wire-to-wire through the frame, closing the first up 30–26.

2nd Quarter. The offense continues to click. Trey Galloway finishes in traffic, L.J. Cryer runs the pace, and Marques Bolden controls the paint. The Warriors stretch the lead to ten midway through the period before the Remix close the gap. Santa Cruz heads to halftime up 64–62, shooting nearly 49 percent from the field and 37 percent from deep.

3rd Quarter. Then comes the undoing. Rip City catches fire, pouring in 42 points to Santa Cruz’s 23. Dillon Jones and Javonte Cooke take over, combining for timely buckets that flip the game. Missed rotations and turnovers pile up, and the Remix seize control. What had been a tight contest turns into a 17-point deficit, 104–87, heading to the fourth.

4th Quarter. The Warriors keep swinging. Cryer stays aggressive, Galloway drives through contact, and Bolden grinds on the boards. They cut the lead to single digits more than once, but Rip City always answers. The Remix hit 46 percent from the floor and hold firm at the line, pushing the margin back out in the closing minutes.

Final. Rip City Remix 131, Santa Cruz Warriors 118. Cryer led the Warriors with 22 points and 5 assists; Galloway added 21; Bolden 18; Ethan Taylor and Jack Clark 13 each. Santa Cruz shot 46 percent overall but couldn’t recover from the 42–23 third-quarter swing.

Stockton Kings game wrap: Kings just couldn’t get past Clippers in 102-97 loss in opener

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The Stockton Kings seen here battling the Salt Lake City Stars last season, opened up their regular season against the San Diego Clippers in the season opener at Adventist Health Arena in Stockton on Sat Nov 8, 2025 (Stockton Kings photo)

By William Espy

STOCKTON–The Stockton Kings took the court for the first time since being named G-League Champions on Saturday evening, as they hosted the San Diego Clippers. It was a close contest as the Clippers came away with a five point 102-97 win on opening night.

There’s been quite a bit of turnover during the offseason, as only a few players from the championship-winning squad returned, and there’s even a new face on the sideline, as Will Scott took over the reins as head coach.

Before the opening tip-off, the Kings unveiled their championship banner, and returning guard Dexter Dennis spoke to the crowd.

Once the game got underway and the festivities were concluded, it was back to business as usual for the Kings. Undrafted Sacramento Kings prospect Dylan Cardwell, out of Auburn, got the Kings’ first points of the new campaign.

The Clippers got out to an early, but small lead, but before long, the Kings had tied things up. Toward the end of the first quarter, the Kings went on a 12-point run, which saw them take the largest lead so far in the matchup, 27-14. At the end of the first frame, Stockton led 34-18. Stockton maintained their double-digit lead through the second quarter, taking a 61-43 lead into halftime.

The Clippers would cut into the lead slightly early in the third quarter, but not nearly enough to put pressure on the Kings.

That would change late in the quarter, though, as at one point the lead was down to just seven points, marking the first time the Kings’ lead was down to single digits since the first quarter. By the end of the third quarter, the lead was down to 77-72.

With 10 minutes remaining in regulation, the Clippers had cut the Kings’ lead down to just a single point and took their first lead since the opening frame moments later.

From there, the lead was traded back and forth, with neither side able to truly pull ahead of their opposition. Ultimately, the Kings would fall short to kick off their season, losing to the Clippers.

Santa Cruz Warriors game wrap: Remix knocks off Warriors in season opener 120-107

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Santa Cruz Shows Heart but Falls Short as Remix Rule the Opener 120-107

Santa Cruz Warriors can’t get by the Rip City Remix in the season opener on Fri Nov 7, 2025 in G League action on Fri Nov 7, 2025 (photo by Santa Cruz Warriors)

Fri Nov 7, 2025

By Brien Gingrich, Santa Cruz Voice

SANTA CRUZ–6:59 PM. The house lights drop at Kaiser Permanente Arena, and the buzz is back — a new G-League season on the coast. But opening night didn’t wait long to turn rough.

7:04 PM. Nearly three full minutes tick off the clock before the Warriors finally get on the board. Rip City Remix race out ahead, drilling open looks and pounding the glass. The home crowd keeps trying to will Santa Cruz into rhythm, but the rim feels sealed shut.

End of 1st. Rip City 40, Santa Cruz 21. The Remix are getting anything they want — downhill drives, corner threes, second-chance buckets.

Mid-2nd. L.J. Cryer finally steadies the offense with a couple of pull-ups, and Marques Bolden starts to make his presence felt inside. Still, every Santa Cruz surge gets answered by Blake Hinson or Dillon Jones.

“We dug ourselves a hole early,” said head coach Lainn Wilson. “They came out hitting, and we were chasing from the start. You can’t spot a team twenty and expect to climb back. That’s on us.”

Halftime. Rip City 70, Santa Cruz 48. The crowd wants something to cheer for, but the Warriors head to the locker room needing a reset more than a pep talk.

3rd Quarter. Santa Cruz finds a pulse. Cryer takes command — step-back three, floater, a feed to Bolden for a dunk. The communication tightens on defense, the hustle picks up, and the lead dips under twenty for the first time since the opening frame.

“I thought we responded well after halftime,” Wilson said. “The talk on defense got better, we went after loose balls, and we started to win the effort plays that define games in this league.”

4th Quarter. Jack Clark ignites off the bench — 17 points with fearless drives — and Trey Galloway adds steals that flip the tempo. The Warriors trim it to single digits, but fatigue and execution catch up late. Rip City hits clutch jumpers and closes it out.

“It’s the first one of the year, and you can tell guys are still finding their legs,” Wilson admitted. “The pace in this league is relentless. That’ll come with reps.”

Final. Rip City Remix 120, Santa Cruz Warriors 107. Cryer leads with 25 points and 7 assists, Bolden posts 15 and 8, Galloway adds 15 and 3 steals. The Warriors actually win the second half — 59-50 — but the early drought was too much to overcome.

Postgame, Wilson’s tone was even — disappointed but forward-looking. “The group’s disappointed, but that’s good,” he said. “It means they care. We’ve got another shot tomorrow, and the focus now is to clean up the first-half mistakes and build on that second-half fight.”

-Brian

NBA G League Finals: Stockton Kings are G League Champs; Kings defeat Osceola 118-110

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The Stockton Kings got the first step on the Osceola Magic on offense at RP Funding Center in game 3 in the G League Finals on Mon Apr 14, 2025 (Stockton Kings photo)

By William Espy

The Stockton Kings were on the road for the final time this season, as they visited the Osceola Magic in a winner-takes-all game three in the G League Finals and the winner did take all as the Kings took two out of three from the Magic 118-110 at the RP Funding Center.

The Magic got out to a decent lead by the end of the first quarter, leading 29-21 after 12 minutes. The Kings didn’t do much to slow their opposition’s momentum either, as they gave them two quick baskets to start the second quarter.

It very quickly seemed like the game could get out of hand. The Kings didn’t score for nearly three minutes to start the second, when Terry Taylor hit a free throw. The Kings clawed their way back into the game by the end of the half, as they trailed by just six points heading into the break.

Back-to-back three pointers a few minutes into the third quarter swung momentum heavily back in the Magic’s favor. While the Kings nearly evened up the game late in the third quarter, a missed free throw by Dexter Dennis once again gave the advantage to Osceola.

As a result, the Kings were faced with a deficit heading into the final frame. They were down by nine points with 12 minutes remaining. Within two minutes though, the Magic’s lead was down to just three points.

Within three minutes, it was a tie game thanks to a three-point play by Isaiah Crawford. With nine minutes remaining in the game, Stockton took the lead for the first time in the game.

The Kings lost Mason Jones to injury around the midway point of the fourth quarter, but were still fighting without one of their key players. With just over two minutes remaining, the Kings had a seven point lead and victory was within sight.

The Kings were able to hold on, and won their first ever G League Championship with a final score of 118-107. After the game, Mason Jones was named Finals MVP.

NBA G League Playoffs: Kings even up series 144-126 over Magic at Adventist Arena

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The Stockton Kings forward Terry Taylor (32) goes for the throw down against the Osceola Magic in game 2 of the G League playoffs at Adventist Arena in Stockton on Fri Apr 11, 2025 (Stockton Kings X)

By William Espy

STOCKTON–It was do-or-die for the Stockton Kings on Friday night in front of a sell-out crowd at AdventistHealth Arena. A win would force a game three in the NBA G League Finals. A loss on the other hand, would crown the Osceola Magic as G League Champions. The Kings performed well and won game 2 enough to live another game of the G League Playoffs defeating the Magic 144-126.

Early in the game, both teams were trading points back and forth. It took four minutes for a team to take a two-possession lead. The Magic maintained that pace for a while at that point though, as each time the Kings would score, so would Osceola.

Halfway through the quarter, the Magic had started pulling away with a seven point lead. Just a couple of minutes later though, Stockton would have a two point lead of their own. That lead would eventually lead to a game-high, at that point, nine point lead for the Kings at the end of the first quarter.

The Magic quickly shrank that lead, getting off to a hot start in the second quarter and clawing their way back into the mix. Once again, by the halfway point of the second quarter, the visiting team held the lead. They carried that lead into halftime, as the Magic led 75-68 after 24 minutes.

As was becoming a theme in this game, the lead would be short lived as a difficult three by Mason Jones tied the game up for the Kings with eight minutes remaining in the third quarter. After a back-and-forth quarter, Stockton carried a lead into the final frame. With a score of 110-104 in favor of the home team, it was still anyone’s game.

The Kings were dominant to start the fourth quarter. They quickly grew their lead to double digits with a 9-0 run, and forcing the Magic to take a timeout in the process. The Kings continued to grow their lead, making it 129-112 with just over half of the quarter remaining.

Led by strong performances by Jones, Skal Labissiere and Dexter Dennis, the Kings were able to overcome Mac McClung and the Magic to force a game three, winning with a final score of 144-126

NBA G League playoffs: Magic takes 1-0 lead in playoffs beat Kings 129-118

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Stockton Kings guard Dexter Dennis (9) goes for the throw down against the Osceola Magic in game one of the G League Playoffs at Spurs Arena Kissimmee Tue Apr 8, 2025 (Stockton Kings X photo)

By William Espy

The NBA G League Finals are officially underway as the Stockton Kings visited the Osceola Magic at Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee, Florida on Tuesday night. The Magic worked the offense with Myran Gardner leading with 30 points followed by Mac McClung with 29 points as they defeated the Kings 129-118.

It was an evenly matched affair early on. The Magic pulled out to a narrow lead in the first quarter, as they were only able to edge out the Kings by two points in the first frame, taking a 32-30 lead into the second.

The Kings returned the favor in the second quarter, outscoring the Magic by two points and making it a tie game heading into halftime. Stockton and Osceola were tied 60-60 after 24 minutes, and it was clear that it wasn’t a coincidence these two teams ended up in the finals, they certainly appeared to be evenly matched.

The third quarter was when the Magic’s offense really broke through. The Kings were unable to stop them, and Osceola dropped a game-high 38 points in the third frame. Meanwhile Stockton was held to just 27, giving the home side an 11 point lead heading into the final 12 minutes.

The fourth quarter would once again be an evenly matched one, much to the dismay of the Kings. Both teams would end up with 31 points, and the Magic would take a 1-0 series lead in game one.

One of the G League’s most known players Mac McClung had a phenomenal offensive showing for the Magic, scoring 29 points. However, he was actually second on his team in scoring as Myron Gardner just slightly outperformed him with a 30-point game.

Meanwhile, the Kings were led by Terry Taylor’s 28 points while Mason Jones ended the night with 21 of his own.

Stockton will get the opportunity to even up the series on their home court on Friday night, as they look to stop the Magic from sweeping the best-of-three series and hope to force a winner-takes-all matchup back in Florida.

NBA G League Playoffs: Kings continue to roll in post season defeat Spurs 118-112 at Adventist Arena

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Stockton Kings with their win over the Austin Spurs are the G League Western Conference Champions in the G League Playoff action at Adventist Health in Stockton on Sun Apr 6, 2025 (Stockton Kings X photo)

By William Espy

STOCKTON–The Stockton Kings hosted the Austin Spurs in the G League’s Western Conference Final on Sunday night and the Kings once again advanced for the second time in the playoffs with a 118-112 win over the Spurs.

The Spurs got out to a hot start, scoring 27 points in the first quarter while holding Stockton to just 17. A double digit lead after 12 minutes seemed like a good sign for the visiting team, and that wouldn’t change in the second quarter either.

While the Kings out scored the Spurs in the second frame, Austin still maintained a lead heading into halftime. The Kings scored 28 points, but that was only three more than the Spurs, meaning Austin maintained a seven point lead after 24 minutes.

The third quarter would be a major game changer, as the Kings’ offense exploded. They out scored the Spurs by 20 points in the third frame, 43-23.

Austin trailed 97-82 heading into the fourth quarter, as a result they’d need to recreate the performance their opposition just had if they wanted any chance of moving on to the G League Final. They’d outscore the Kings for the second time of the night, but it wouldn’t be by big enough of a margin, as Stockton would walk away victorious.

Mason Jones continued to have a strong playoff run, as he scored a game-high 38 points. Terry Taylor wasn’t far behind him though, as he scored 29 of his own. Undoubtedly, those performances were a major part of what allowed the Kings to make it to the Final for the first time in organization history.

Meanwhile for the Spurs, Malachi Flynn had a strong offensive performance, scoring a team-high 32 points in Austin’s losing effort. David Duke Jr and Kyle Mangas both eclipsed the 20 point mark as well, but it wasn’t enough for them to upset the top seed.

The Kings will face the Osceola Magic in the G League Final starting on the road Tuesday night.

NBA G League Playoffs: Mason Jones 47 points leads Kings to 122-114 win over Valley Suns

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Stockton Kings guard Mason Jones (15) brings the ball up the floor against the Valley Suns in the first round of the NBA G League playoffs at Adventist Health Arena in Stockton on Thu Apr 3, 2025 (Getty photo)

By William Espy

STOCKTON–The Stockton Kings started their postseason with a first round bye before hosting the Valley Suns on Thursday night. The Kings Mason Jones had himself an offensive evening scoring 47 points for a 122-114 win to advance to the next round of the playoffs.

Both teams had a strong offensive performance right out of the gate, with the Suns taking a 31-28 lead after the first quarter. Skal Labissiere was creating the majority of the Kings offense, and if they were going to walk away victorious they were going to need some others to step up as well.

Early in the second quarter, the Suns continued to extend their lead, yet weren’t able to pull too far ahead of the Kings either.

By the end of the first half, the Kings had pulled the game back within reach, and trailed by only a single point after 24 minutes.

While the Kings did take the lead momentarily in the third quarter, the Suns were leading for the majority of it early on. The Suns would maintain their lead at the end of the quarter, making it 97-92 after 36 minutes. Considering the Kings hadn’t been able to maintain a lead all night, it seemed like an upset may be on the horizon.

In the first three minutes of the final frame, the Kings went on a 7-0 run to quickly take the lead with minimal time remaining. It would be a back-and-forth battle until the Kings went on another late run to pull ahead, and secure the victory with a final score of 122-114.

Mason Jones was instrumental in the Kings’ success, as he was on fire following the first quarter. He ended the night with 47 points which led both teams in scoring. Meanwhile, the aforementioned Labissiere finished second on the Kings with 25. TyTy Washington led the Suns with 39 points of his own in the losing effort. The Kings will host the Western Conference Finals against the Austin Spurs on Sunday as they continue their push through the playoffs.

NBA G-League action: Kings putting up the shots crushing Sioux Falls 122-106 at Adventist Health

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Guard Mason Jones of the Stockton Kings led in scoring with 28 points, two rebounds, and 12 assists against the visiting Sioux Falls Skyforce at Adventist Health Arena in Stockton on Wed Mar 26, 2025 (Stockton Kings X photo)

By William Espy

STOCKTON–The Stockton Kings hosted the Sioux Falls Skyforce in their final home game of the regular season on Wednesday night. Entering the night, the Kings had already clinched a playoff berth with three total games remaining. Despite that, they were in a fight to win the #1 seed, which would give them a major advantage in the postseason.

Meanwhile, the Skyforce were trying to chase down the Santa Cruz Warriors, who currently hold the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Both teams had playoff implications riding on the outcome of this game, which meant it should be a competitive one.

After Jon Elmore gave the fans in attendance a short thank-you message, the game got underway. Mason Jones got the Kings on the board to start the night with a quick three-pointer. Although the Kings pulled out to a quick lead, it was short-lived as the Skyforce fought back to tie it up just a couple of minutes later.

While the Skyforce kept it close for a few minutes, the Kings quickly got out to their biggest lead of the night so far around the halfway point of the first quarter, when they led 16-9. Terry Taylor gave the Kings a 34-24 lead a the end of the quarter, with a thunderous putback dunk right before the clock expired.

The Kings kept extending their lead into the second quarter, making it 51-38 at the halfway point of the second frame. By the end of the quarter, it seemed that we were on our way to a blowout as the Kings had a commanding lead heading into halftime. They were up 67-48 with 24 minutes remaining in the game.

Sioux Falls slowly started cutting into the lead in the third quarter, but weren’t able to make much of a dent into it. Mason Jones was given a technical foul halfway through the third, and with the free throw, the Skyforce cut the Kings’ lead to 13. By the end of the quarter, though, the Kings got it back to 17, and led 96-79.

The final quarter was more of the same, as the Kings maintained their lead for the most part but the Skyforce had a few runs of their own as they looked to cut into the lead. Ultimately, they’d be unable to do so, and Stockton would walk away victorious with a final score of 122-106. Mason Jones led the way in scoring with 28 points for the Kings, but Terry Taylor and Isaac Jones weren’t far behind with 23 of their own. Josh Christopher led the way for the Skyforce with 26 points.

NBA G League: Time runs out on Kings as Clippers win it 126-113

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Stockton Kings guard Mason Jones (15) was listed as inactive against the San Diego Clippers at Adventist Health Arena in Stockton in the G League on Sun Mar 9, 2025 (Stockton Kings X file photo)

By William Espy

STOCKTON–Straight off of their win against the San Diego Clippers Saturday night, the Stockton Kings hosted their California rivals in a matinee matchup on Sunday afternoon. With daylight savings time taking effect and less than 24 hours between games, it seemed clear that both teams would be battling fatigue and either side could walk away victorious. The Clippers walked away with a 126-113 win over the Kings.

Once again, the visiting team got out to an early lead. In the first quarter, San Diego outscored the Kings for the second night in a row, leading 31-27 after the first 12 minutes. The second period was exactly the same, once again the Clippers outscored Stockton 31-27, extending their lead to 62-54 heading into the halftime break.

For the third quarter in a row, the Clippers held the Kings to 27 points in the third frame but scored one more point than they had in the first two quarters, outscoring Stockton 32-27 this time. Heading into the final quarter, the Clippers had a solid 94-81 lead and they only needed to hold on for 12 more minutes to split the series in Stockton.

The Clippers were consistent throughout the night, as they scored 32 points once again in the fourth quarter, bringing their point total up to 126 at the final whistle. The Kings had a better offensive showing in the final frame, scoring 32 of their own and matching San Diego for the only time of the night. It was too little too late though, as the visiting team walked away victorious with a final score of 126-113.

The winning team, San Diego, were led in scoring by Trentyn Flowers who dropped 23 points. It was a strong all-around offensive effort though, as the Clippers had seven players with 14 or more points on the night. Yauhen Massalski’s 10 offensive rebounds helped get some critical second-chance points, and were a big part of the Clippers’ win as well.

Terry Taylor had an impressive outing for the Kings despite it coming in a losing effort. The former Chicago Bull scored 33 points and grabbed 11 rebounds of his own, mostly on the defensive end of the court. Jon Elmore also eclipsed the 20-point mark, getting 25 points on the night.

After splitting the series, the Kings will be heading back on the road as they’ll be going to Birmingham for their next game later this week.