NBA G-League Playoffs: Players and Teams to Keep an Eye On
by Devesh Jaganath | by Devesh Jaganath
Is Osceola Magic the Team to Beat?
The Osceola Magic are enjoying an excellent regular season and took the top spot in the Eastern Conference heading into the final week of the campaign with a stunning 140-133 victory over their closest rivals, Maine Celtics, on the road on Thursday night.
With that, the Magic improved to 19-10, but nothing has been decided just yet with the top seven teams in the league still only separated by three games, while all of the first 11 are still in contention to finish in the top six which grants them qualification to the Playoffs.
Still, Dylan Murphy’s side have been on a tear in recent times, currently 9-1 in their last 10 games, while they’ve only lost three home games this season, which bodes very well for their chances of finishing top with four of their remaining five games scheduled to be played at the Silver Spurs Arena.
Can Knicks Follow Up Winter Showcase Triumph With the Championship?
The Westchester Knicks got the season off to an incredible start, beating Sioux Falls Skyforce 125-119 at the Orange County Conventions Center just before Christmas to become the first team in NBA G League history to win back-to-back Winter Showcase titles.
While the Knicks have had a mixed campaign over the last couple of months, 6-4 in their last 10, they have certainly turned it up in the last two weeks, rattling off three wins on the bounce against Birmingham Squadron, Long Island Nets, and most recently, College Park Skyhawks on Thursday night.
DeSagana Diop’s team are now up to third place in the Eastern Conference standings but have two games in hand on the second-placed Celtics, who they will face on March 27 in a match that could be the decider in the race for the top two in the East.
Is Something Brewing in the Golden State?
Over in the Western Conference, the Austin Spurs have been the best team so far this season but they are being hunted down by the Salt Lake City Stars, who are 8-2 in their last 10 games and gunning for a sixth straight win after thumping the Capitanes in midweek.
However, the team to watch for us over the closing stages of the season are the Santa Cruz Warriors. Much like their parent club, the Golden State Warriors, Santa Cruz are ending the season with a massive push, currently holding the longest active win streak in the league of six in a row.
During their current winning run, the Warriors posted a commanding victory over Eastern Conference leaders Osceola Magic to announce themselves as genuine contenders leading up to the Playoffs. Nick Kerr’s side are now 18-12, two of the top two places with four games to play.
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Ones to Watch: Mac McClung (Osceola Magic)
Regardless of whether the Osceola Magic go all the way to the Championship title this year, the 2024-25 season will likely go down as Mac McClung’s most memorable in the G League after his sensational feat in the Slam Dunk Contest over the NBA All-Star Weekend.
McClung became the fifth-ever player to win back-to-back slam dunk contests in 2023 and 2024, joining the likes of Michael Jordan, and Zach LaVine. However, the 26-year-old etched his name in the history books in February by claiming a three-peat - becoming the first person ever to do so.
He is also having an excellent season for the magic, currently averaging 24.6 points per game in 26 matches, with a field-goal percentage of 51.2 % - his career-best shooting conversion - while also notching up six assists per outing.
Elijah Harkless (Salt Lake City Stars)
Salt Lake City Stars guard Elijah Harkless is the current leading points scorer in the G League, averaging 26.9 points per game in 19 appearances. He has been the backbone of Steven Michael Wojciechowski’s setup this season and is in some of the best form of his life, following back-to-back 40-point hauls against the Memphis Hustle a couple of weeks ago.
Harkless is on a two-way contract with the Utah Jazz and looks destined to be part of the NBA franchise next season after debuting for the team on January 11. Since then, he has gone on to make nine appearances for the Jazz, racking up an average of 15 minutes per game and 3.6 PPG.
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