Tag: 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 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 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: Warriors in a three-game losing streak and were swept in series with Hustle, 125-117

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The Santa Cruz Warriors get swept in a two game series by the Memphis Hustle at Adventist Health Arena in Santa Cruz on Sat Mar 1, 2025 (Santa Cruz Warriors X photo)

By Michael Roberson

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — The Santa Cruz Warriors (12-10) continued their losing streak (3) by not outworking the Memphis Hustle (12-10) 125-117, inside KPA.

The Warriors were looking great the first 24 minutes of gameplay. They were seemingly out hustling the Memphis squad of that namesake. They led by nine after the first quarter. in a period that had three lead changes and four ties.nts

In the second quarter, Santa Cruz increased the lead to as high as 14 points. That would be their largest lead of the game too. The Hustle actually whittled that deficit down dramatically by halftime. When the whistle indicated intermission was in play, the Warriors 14-point lead was cut to two, 61-59.

Blake Hinson led the Warriors with 14 points, and Javan Johnson joined him in double figures with 12.Davis Johnson led the Hustle with 15, while Armando Bacot contributed 14.

In the third stanza, Memphis exemplified their moniker, and flipped a two-point deficit to a 19-point lead, by scoring a whopping 43 points in the third quarter. After three, the Warriors trailed 102-83.

As the final quarter began, the Hustle increased their advantage to 22 points. However, the Warriors were not waving the white flag, as they made another valiant comeback attempt. The Warriors shrunk the lead all the way to two points (1:11) 119-117, but the Hustle were able to stave off the Surf City Crew, while adding six more points to their total.

At the final horn, the Warriors lost the game by eight, 125-117, and were swept by the Hustle in the consecutive games in Santa Cruz.

The Warriors were led in scoring by Yuri Collins with 24 points and 13 assists. Blake Hinson and Javan Johnson tallied 22 points, while Marcus Burk offered 13 points and Cheikh Mbacke Diong chipped in a double-double (10 points & 12 rebounds).

David Johnson led Memphis and all scorers with 28 points, While Armando Bacot (15 rebounds) and Malachi Smith both manufactured 21 points apiece.. Nate Hinson (12) and Miles Norris (14) also joined the double-figures plateau.

The Warriors are next in action Wednesday, March 5, hosting the Wisconsin Herd, in game 1 of a 2-game series, at 7:00 PM PT. The Hustle head back to Tennessee to host the South Bay Lakers, Tuesday, March 4 at 7:00 PM CT.

NBA G League: Kings hold off SkyForce 117-98; Stockton wins fifth of last ten games

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Stockton Kings guard Chasson Randle (4) takes the ball against the Sioux Falls Skyforce at Adventist Health Center in Stockton on Sat Mar 1, 2025

By William Espy

STOCKTON–The Stockton Kings were back at it on Saturday night as they hosted the Sioux Falls SkyForce at Adventist Health Arena in Stockton. Kings had to really hold off the SkyForce in the end to get the win 117-98.

The two teams were evenly matched in the first quarter. Although the Kings led for most of the first 12 minutes, the SkyForce only allowed them to get out to a six point lead at most throughout the quarter. By the end of the period, the Kings maintained their lead but it was just a two-point lead as the SkyForce had crawled back into it. Stockton led 26-24 heading into the second quarter.

The second frame was much different than the first. It didn’t take long for Stockton to start extending their lead. With three minutes remaining in the first half, the Kings got their first double-digit lead of the night and they weren’t done yet. When the second quarter came to an end, Stockton had a 14 point lead, as it was 56-42 heading into the break. If the SkyForce were going to get back into the games, they’d need to make some changes very quickly.

Those changes didn’t come though, as although the SkyForce looked a bit more competitive, they weren’t able to reduce the Kings’ lead at all. Stockton continued to pull away, and heading into the final frame of the night they led 86-64. The game felt like it was already over, but the Kings needed to make sure they didn’t get overconfident as they had a few times this season.

Sioux Falls would outscore the Kings in the fourth quarter, the only time they accomplished that over the course of the night, but Stockton held on to win 117-98. Isaiah Crawford led the Kings in scoring with 25 points, while Devin Carter was right behind him with 24 of his own.

Meanwhile for Sioux Falls, the two Williams, Malik and Alondes led with 18 and 17 points respectively.

The Kings currently sit second in the Western Conference behind just the Austin Spurs and will be back in action on Tuesday when they host the Valley Suns, once again at home.

NBA G League Action: Warriors strong second quarter dooms Kings 152-144

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Stockton Kings guard Jon Elmore (33) takes a shot against the Santa Cruz Warriors on Thu Feb 13, 2025 at Kaiser Permanente Arena in Santa Cruz (Stockton Kings X photo)

By William Espy

The Stockton Kings continued their road trip against the Santa Cruz Warriors, in a game that had a major effect on the standings in the long run in a high scoring loss 152-144 at Kaiser Permanente in Santa Cruz.

The Kings were recently overtaken by the Austin Spurs for first in the Western Conference, putting Stockton and Santa Cruz in a battle for second place.

The Kings got off to a strong start, leading 35-32 after the first quarter. It was clear right out of the gate that this would be a game decided by offensive firepower rather than defensive play. The second quarter was ultimately what decided the game, as the Warriors dominated, out scoring the Kings 43-28 and taking a resounding lead, 75-63, into halftime.

In the third, the Kings made a slight dent in the Warriors lead but it was only by a single point. The Warriors still led by 11 heading into the final frame but it was still within reach for Stockton.

The fourth quarter was a shootout essentially, the teams were seemingly scoring at will. The Kings outscored the Warriors for the third time of the night, but they were unable to bridge the gap that Santa Cruz forged in the second quarter. The Warriors walked away victorious, with a final score of 152-144.

Devin Carter, Terry Taylor, Jon Elmore and Isaiah Crawford all scored more than 20 points on the night. Carter finished the night with a very impressive stat line, 29 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists.

On the other side, Blake Hinson and Yuri Collins were the difference makers offensively for the Warriors. Hinson dropped 42 points on the night, while Collins finished with 32 of his own. Both ended the night with a double-double, as Collins had ten assists and Hinson recorded 11 boards.

The Kings will be back at home on February 26, as they host the Memphis Hustle in a matinee showdown at 11 AM. The Warriors on the other hand will host the Oklahoma City Blue on the 21st.

NBA G League Friday action: Des Moines finds a way past Stockton 121-116 to open two game set

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Stockton Ellis guard Boogie Ellis (5) takes the ball down court against the Iowa Wolves at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines on Fri Feb 7, 2025 (Stockton Kings X photo)

By William Espy

The Stockton Kings continued their road trip, visiting Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa to take on the struggling Iowa Wolves. The Wolves entered the night in the middle of a seven-game losing streak that sunk them to last in the Western Conference. Meanwhile, the Kings were heavy favorites as they were on top of the West. The Wolves pulled off an upset with a some offense to beat the visiting Kings 121-116.

The Wolves got out to an early lead, out-scoring the visiting Kings 29-21 in the first quarter. From there, Iowa only continued to extend their lead in the second, as they outscored Stockton by a similar margin, 30-24. The Wolves entered halftime with a 59-45 lead, showing that they can compete with even the strongest teams in the G-League.

The Kings surged in the second half, as they outscored the home team 38-31 in the third quarter, the highest scoring frame of the night. The Wolves still led, 90-83 heading into the fourth but it was once again anyone’s game.

The Kings battled back, even leading late in the fourth but the Wolves kept fighting back. Ultimately, Stockton would outscore Iowa in the final quarter but not by wide enough of a margin to secure the victory. The Wolves found a way to win over a heavy favorite, with a final score of 121-116.

Skal Labissiere led the Kings in scoring, with 27 points in the losing effort. The Kings had a short bench, only using an eight-man rotation over the course of the night. As a result, Terry Taylor led Stockton in minutes, playing 44 of 48 possible minutes.

Meanwhile, Iowa had two players score 20 or more points. Leonard Miller led the team with 29 points, while Trevor Keels had 22 off the bench. Miller also played 44 minutes, recording a double-double as well with 16 rebounds.

For the Wolves, this type of victory will help get their season back on track and if they can keep the momentum rolling in the second half of the back-to-back against Stockton, it will allow them to start climbing up the standings. Meanwhile for Stockton, they need to bounce back in their next game with Iowa. As the top seed in the Western Conference, they can’t afford to be dropping games to a team at the bottom of the standings.

The two teams will be back at it tonight from Wells Fargo Arena, as the Kings try to get revenge on the Wolves.

NBA G League Action: Kings sweep two game set over Bulls in 117-110 win

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Stockton Kings forward Brian Bowen (10) scored from under the basket against the visiting Windy City Bulls at Adventist Arena in Stockton on Fri Jan 31, 2025 (Stockton Kings X photo)

By William Espy

STOCKTON–The Stockton Kings looked to finish January off on a high note, as they took on the Windy City Bulls Friday night, after defeating the Grand Rapids Gold on Thursday. The Kings would ultimately win against a resilient Bulls team, with a final score of 117-107

The Bulls and Kings went back-and-forth in the first quarter, with the Kings narrowly exiting the quarter with a lead, 28-26. The second quarter was when Stockton really started pulling away though, outscoring their opposition 28-15 and extending the lead to 15 points heading into halftime.

Jon Elmore had a tremendous start to the night, going 5-6 from beyond the arc early on. He has struggled shooting from distance lately, however he seems to be finding his form once again.

Boogie Ellis was also firing on all cylinders, hitting multiple deep three pointers in the third quarter.

The Bulls had a strong run late in the third, after trailing by more than 20 points at one point, they brought it back within 11 but the Kings quickly swung momentum back in their favor with a few forced turnovers and defensive stops. Just a couple of minutes later, the Kings’ lead would be back up to 23 points. The Bulls would get three back before the end of the frame, but Stockton would head into the fourth with an 89-69 lead.

The Bulls had another great run to start the fourth, bringing the Kings’ lead back down to 12 just three minutes into the quarter. With five minutes remaining, the Bulls brought the game within single digits, trailing just 99-92. It went from seeming like a clear cut win for the Kings, to anyone’s ballgame in just a few moments.

The Kings responded by quickly getting the lead back to double-digits but the Bulls never let off the gas either. With 37 seconds remaining, it was a seven point game once again. The Bulls kept fighting but ultimately Elmore would dribble out the clock, and the Kings won 117-107, sweeping the back-to-back two game series. Elmore led the team in scoring with 21 points, while Ellis finished his night with 20 of his own.

Adama Sanogo had a great night for the Bulls despite the loss, finishing with 27 points and 14 rebounds on the night.

The Kings continued their great season with a hard fought victory over Windy City, and now they’ll head on the road for quite a while with their next outing in Mexico City.