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Stockton Kings Win G League Title, Mason Jones Named Finals MVP

April 15th, 2025 at 7:19am CST by Luke Adams

The Stockton Kings, Sacramento’s affiliate, claimed the 2024/25 G League title by winning the deciding game of a best-of-three series with the Osceola Magic on Monday.

After losing Game 1 to Orlando’s G League affiliate last Tuesday, Stockton evened the series with a 144-126 victory on Friday and then knocked off Osceola 118-110 on Monday, with Dexter Dennis, Terry Taylor, and Isaac Jones all scoring at least 21 points in the championship game.

Veteran guard Mason Jones, who is on a two-way contract with Sacramento, was named the G League Finals MVP (Twitter link). For the series, he averaged 22.3 points, 9.7 assists, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.7 steals per game and made 11-of-25 three-point shots (44.0%).

Jones, 26, made his NBA debut in 2021 and has since appeared in 51 regular season games for the Rockets, Sixers, Lakers, and Kings, including 10 for Sacramento this season. However, he has played very limited minutes at the NBA level, whereas he averaged 23.6 PPG, 7.9 APG, 5.1 RPG, and 1.1 SPG in 35.9 MPG with a shooting line of .492/.447/.790 across 27 Tip-Off Tournament and regular season outings for Stockton this season.

Mason Jones was one of three players under contract with Sacramento who contributed to Stockton’s NBAGL championship. Fellow two-way player Isaiah Crawford also started all three games in the Finals, while Isaac Jones, who was promoted to the Kings’ 15-man roster last month, was assigned to Stockton for Game 3 and posted a double-double (21 points, 13 rebounds) on 8-of-11 shooting on Monday.

The Kings hold a minimum-salary team option on Isaac Jones for next season. Mason Jones and Crawford will be eligible for restricted free agency this summer.

Southeast Notes: Heat, Wizards, Magic, Play-In, Nance

April 14th, 2025 at 5:33pm CST by Dana Gauruder

There are a lot of moves the Heat, who face the Bulls in the play-in tournament on Wednesday, need to make to become true contenders again, says Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.

Not only do the Heat need to add an elite scorer, Jackson writes, they also need an elite shot creator and a better floor leader to prevent the late-game slides that plagued the team this season. However, the pairing of Bam Adebayo and Kel’el Ware worked well and should be the team’s power duo going forward, according to Jackson, who adds that they also have a solid second unit to bring back next season.

We have more from the Southeast Division:

Wizards general manager Will Dawkins was pleased with the growth of his young players this season but knows they have many more steps to take to become a playoff contender, he told Josh Robbins of The Athletic. “I would say that we discovered through a lot of different assessments and lineups that there’s a style of play that, if we’re rowing in the right direction, can be successful. And we have the type of players here who were bought into that,” he said. “We’re far from where we need to be — still at the ground level. But we feel good about the camaraderie of the group, the work ethic of the group, and the direction we’re headed. But (there’s) a lot of work ahead of us.”
After an injury-marred season, the Magic still wound up as the highest seed in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament. A victory over Atlanta on Tuesday would clinch the No. 7 seed and a matchup with Boston in the first round. “With everything we’ve gone through, with the bodies being down, with guys being in and out of lineups and the adversity that we’ve hit this year, for this group to get to .500, [it] says a lot about their character, their care factor, and the coaching staff,” coach Jamahl Mosley said, per Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. “We’re going to have to put that behind us in this moment and move onto Tuesday and make sure we’re ready to take care of business.”
Forward Larry Nance Jr. won’t be available for the Hawks against the Magic, Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal Constitution tweets. He’s still recovering from a right medial femoral condyle fracture.

Postseason Seeding Set For Eastern Conference

April 11th, 2025 at 11:30pm CST by Luke Adams

Wins by the Orlando, Milwaukee, Atlanta, and Chicago on Friday night have locked in the playoff seeds for all six Eastern Conference playoff teams, along with the four play-in clubs.

Here’s how the top 10 teams in the East will finish the regular season, as the NBA confirms (via Twitter):

Cleveland Cavaliers
Boston Celtics
New York Knicks
Indiana Pacers
Milwaukee Bucks
Detroit Pistons
Orlando Magic
Atlanta Hawks
Chicago Bulls
Miami Heat

The play-in tournament in the Eastern Conference will feature the Magic hosting the Hawks on Tuesday and the Bulls hosting the Heat on Wednesday. The Orlando/Atlanta winner will claim the No. 7 spot in the playoffs and face the Celtics in the first round of the playoffs. The loser of that game will host the Chicago/Miami winner on Friday for the No. 8 spot and the right to face the Cavaliers in round one.

The Knicks will match up with the Pistons in the first round of the playoffs, while the Pacers and Bucks will meet in round one for a second consecutive year, with Indiana claiming home court advantage this time around.

We got a little more clarity on the Western Conference playoff picture by the end of Friday night, with the Lakers clinching the No. 3 seed by beating Houston and the Grizzlies now locked into the play-in tournament as a result of their loss to Denver. However, there are still several playoff berths and seeds up in the air, with the Nuggets, Clippers, Warriors, and Timberwolves vying for the final three spots in the West’s top six.

Kyle O’Quinn Announces Retirement, Takes Job At Norfolk State

April 11th, 2025 at 11:25pm CST by Luke Adams

Former NBA center Kyle O’Quinn has announced his retirement as a player, breaking the news this week to Tina Cervasio of FOX 5 NY (Instagram video link).

As Cervasio relays – and as the school confirms (via Twitter) – O’Quinn has accepted a position at Norfolk State University and will serve as the executive director of athletic advancement for his alma mater.

The 49th overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft, O’Quinn made 472 regular season appearances from 2012-20 for the Magic, Knicks, Pacers, and Sixers.

The 35-year-old served primarily as a backup center, starting just 65 contests and playing 14.2 minutes per night over the course of his eight-year NBA career. He averaged 5.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.0 block per game.

Although O’Quinn hasn’t been on an NBA roster since 2020, he remained active overseas in recent years. From 2021-23, he had stints with teams in Turkey, France, Japan, and China.

O’Quinn was a standout at Norfolk State from 2008-12, earning Defensive Player of the Year honors in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference twice and claiming the MEAC Player of the Year award in 2012. He ranked first in the conference in rebounds and blocks per game as both a junior and a senior and led No. 15 Norfolk State to a first-round upset of No. 2 Missouri in the 2012 NCAA Tournament. His No. 10 jersey was retired by the Spartans in 2019.

Magic’s Jonathan Isaac Earns $2.6MM Bonus

April 11th, 2025 at 7:07pm CST by Luke Adams

Magic forward Jonathan Isaac appeared in his 70th game of the 2024/25 season, earning a $2.6MM bonus that will be tacked onto his $25MM base salary, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks.

The bonus had been considered unlikely to be earned and hadn’t counted against the cap because Isaac didn’t appear in at least 70 games last season. In fact, this is the first time since 2018/19 that he has achieved the feat. The 6’10” forward, who tore his ACL during the ’19/20 season, saw the floor in just 103 total contests in the five seasons preceding this one.

Isaac has played a far more modest role this season than he did earlier in his career, averaging 5.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks in 15.2 minutes per game entering Friday’s contest. He continues to be an impactful defender in his part-time role — Orlando has allowed just 106.5 points per 100 possessions when he’s on the floor, a slightly better mark than Oklahoma City’s league-best 106.7 defensive rating.

The Magic have one of the NBA’s lowest payrolls this season and will remain far below the tax line even after accounting for Isaac’s bonus, which will bump his ’24/25 earnings from $25MM up to $27.6MM.

Typically, when a bonus is earned in one season, it’s considered “likely” for the following season and is added to the player’s cap hit. However, that bonus for 70 games played wasn’t included in the contract extension Isaac signed last summer, which goes into effect in 2025/26, so his $15MM cap hit for next season will remain unchanged.

Southeast Notes: Magic, Hornets, Heat, Wizards

April 10th, 2025 at 8:38pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Magic clinched home court in all potential play-in games by defeating the Celtics on Wednesday. In the process, they also clinched the Southeast Division title, Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel writes.

Orlando still needs to win a play-in game to clinch an official postseason slot, but it’s still an impressive feat for a team that lost its top three players – Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs – to lengthy injury absences over the course of the season.

“[I’m] extremely proud of this group,” coach Jamahl Mosley said. “Just being able to endure through all the things — the injuries, the bump back, guys in, guys out — and still come away getting the division and giving yourself a chance at a secured seventh [seed] for the opportunity to get into the playoffs. I’m proud of our group for that, for being as tough as they are, resilient as they are to continue to push through no matter the circumstance.”

As the current No. 7 seed, the Magic will host of the Hawks, Bulls or Heat on Tuesday and will see Boston again if they officially secure seventh place with a play-in win.

We have more from the Southeast Division:

The Hornets have decisions on multiple key players this offseason, cap expert Yossi Gozlan observes on his Substack. Some key points of reflection include whether Mark Williams is part of their future after the Lakers trade fell through, whether Tre Mann should be tendered his $6.96MM qualifying offer, and whether Miles Bridges should be traded, Gozlan writes.
The Heat had a chance to obtain home-court advantage in a play-in game, but fell to the Bulls on Wednesday. A missed Tyler Herro three that led to a made Matas Buzelis deep ball put the nail in the coffin for Miami, according to ESPN and the Miami Herald’s Anthony Chiang. Herro had an open path to the basket with 43 seconds left and the Heat down five, but chose to stop at the three-point line rather than taking the easy layup. “What I’ll say is Tyler has a fearlessness that you can’t take for granted,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “He’s hit so many big shots. He wants to take on anything to help you win and he’s had a lot of big plays offensively, especially in fourth quarters, in his time with us. And it’s my job now to also coach him in situational basketball.“
While unlikely, it’s still possible for the Heat to move out of 10th place in the East, Chiang writes in a separate piece. They’ll continue to play their regulars for the final two games of the season.
The Wizards‘ plan to develop their young players and boost their lottery odds this season is a sound plan, but Candace Buckner of The Washington Post wonders whether it’s negatively impacting those currently on the roster. Even if players individually develop, Buckner opines that losing so often so early may harm their chances of developing winning habits.

Osceola Magic, Stockton Kings To Compete In NBAGL Finals

April 7th, 2025 at 3:58pm CST by Rory Maher

The Osceola Magic (Orlando’s affiliate) and the Stockton Kings (Sacramento’s affiliate) will compete in this year’s NBA G League Finals, a best-of-three series that will begin on Tuesday night.

The NBAGL’s playoffs have a much different setup than the NBA’s, as only 12 teams advance instead of 16, with the top-two seeds from each conference receiving a first-round bye. The conference quarterfinals, semifinals and finals are also single elimination instead of taking place over multiple games.

Both Osceola and Stockton went 22-12 during the regular season, finishing as the top seeds in their respective conferences.

Led by 42 points from Mac McClung, who is on a two-way contract, the Magic defeated the Maine Celtics to advance from the East. Out West, Stockton defeated the Austin Spurs in the conference final behind 38 points from Mason Jones, who is on a two-way deal with the Kings. Terry Taylor, who signed a 10-day contract with Sacramento last month, finished with 27 points and 10 rebounds.

Game 1 of the NBA G League Finals will take place in Osceola on Tuesday at 7 pm CT (ESPNU). Game 2 will be played in Stockton on Friday at 9 pm CT (ESPNews). If necessary, Game 3 will be next Monday in Osceola at 7 pm CT (ESPN2).

Florida Notes: Wiggins, Heat, KCP, Magic

April 6th, 2025 at 10:04pm CST by Rory Maher

Heat forward Andrew Wiggins has been plagued by a variety of ailments since he was traded to Miami in February, with the latest being right hamstring tendinopathy, which has cost him the past five games.

According to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel, Wiggins said the injury “had been kind of lingering a little bit,” but he plans to return sometime this week — he’s questionable for Monday’s contest vs. Philadelphia.

“Definitely been frustrating, just because I want to be out there, playing with the guys and just fighting,” Wiggins said. “I feel like this is a new thing for me. I feel like usually I play throughout the season a lot of games, but being hurt sucks.”

We have more on the NBA’s two Florida-based teams:

Injuries and an inability to hold leads are the primary reasons the Heat are heading to the play-in tournament for the third straight season, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. The Heat were shorthanded in Saturday’s overtime loss to Milwaukee, as Wiggins, Tyler Herro (right thigh contusion) and Nikola Jovic (broken right hand) were all out. “We’re going through adversity, we’ve been through it before,” guard Davion Mitchell said, with the team also enduring a 10-game losing skid last month. “I think it’s good for us, especially with the postseason coming up. You know there are going to be close games and we’ve been through the fire before. So this is a good loss for us, honestly. We’re going to learn from it and we’re going to keep going.”
In the five seasons leading up to 2024/25, veteran shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had shot a combined 40.3% from three-point range, with his lowest mark in a single season over that stretch being 38.5%. Through the end of February — a span of 58 games — Caldwell-Pope was shooting just 30.6% from deep in his first season with the Magic, which would have been a career low. However, he has caught fire since the start of March, per Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (subscriber link), converting 50.0% of his triples over the past 16 games, and the Magic desperately need his hot outside shooting to continue to have a chance at postseason success.
The Magic have leaned heavily on their defense to get back on a winning track with the postseason quickly approaching, Beede writes in another story. Orlando has gone 9-5 over its past 14 games in large part due to its third-ranked defense. “It’s us getting closer to the end of the season, understanding that we need to be hitting our peak now,” big man Wendell Carter said. “I know we had a lull in terms of our defensive rating but we’re one of the top defenses in the league. And we’re going to continue to get better on that end of the court.”

Dwight Howard Elected To Hall Of Fame

April 4th, 2025 at 8:34pm CST by Luke Adams

Former NBA center Dwight Howard has been elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and will be part of the class of 2025, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

The first overall pick in the 2004 draft, Howard immediately became the starting center for the Magic and spent the next eight seasons in Orlando, winning three Defensive Player of the Year awards with the team and finishing in the top five in MVP voting in four consecutive seasons from 2008-11. The Magic made the playoffs in six straight years during Howard’s tenure, appearing in the NBA Finals in 2009.

From 2012-22, Howard bounced around the NBA, spending time with the Lakers, Rockets, Hawks, Hornets, Wizards, and Sixers. He had three separate stints with the Lakers during that decade and won his first and only championship with the team in 2020.

Howard earned a total of eight All-Star nods and appeared on eight All-NBA teams, including five First Teams, over the course of his 18-year NBA career. In addition to winning DPOY three times, he made an All-Defensive team five teams, including claiming a spot on the First Team for four years in a row from 2009-12.

Howard led the league in rebounding five times and currently ranks 11th on the NBA’s all-time rebounding list. He was also the league leader in blocked shots twice and ranks 15th all-time in that category.

The big man didn’t play college basketball but fortified his Hall of Fame résumé by winning an Olympic gold medal with Team USA in Beijing in 2008.

The Hall of Fame will officially announce its full class of 2025 on Saturday at the NCAA Final Four. According to reporting from Charania, Howard and another former NBA star, Carmelo Anthony, will be among the first-ballot selections in that group.

Southeast Notes: Heat, Spoelstra, LaMelo, Magic

April 2nd, 2025 at 7:38pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

It’s possible the Heat will control two first-round picks in what’s expected to be a stacked 2025 draft.

According to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald, Miami will earn Golden State’s 2025 first-rounder should it fall outside the top 10. Given that the Warriors have now climbed into the West’s fifth seed, that’s looking highly likely. The Heat would also retain their own first-rounder if they miss out on the playoffs.

Currently the No. 9 seed in the East with a 34-41 record, Miami is locked into at least a play-in tournament berth. The Heat would land in this year’s draft lottery if they’re eliminated in the play-in tournament. With the 11th-worst record in the NBA as of this writing, Miami would have only an outside chance to land the top overall pick or a top-four overall selection, but could end up with two picks in the top 20.

There’s more from around the Southeast:

Things have hardly gone to plan for the Heat this season on the whole. Just two years removed from their second NBA Finals appearance with Jimmy Butler, the All-Star swingman demanded a trade out of town. When he left, his team sank in the East standings. Now, head coach Erik Spoelstra is grappling with Miami’s new fate: a likely play-in tournament appearance, as Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald writes. “Are we where we had planned to be as an organization?” Spoelstra asked. “No, but there is great competition now league-wide. And when you have something to play for as an organization, it’s fun and it matters still.”
Hornets guard LaMelo Ball has undergone successful arthroscopic surgeries on his right wrist and right ankle, the team announced today (Twitter link). According to the Hornets, the 6’7″ pro is expected to resume full basketball activities within five or six weeks. Charlotte has long since been eliminated from the postseason. In his 47 healthy bouts this season, Ball logged averages of 25.2 points, 7.4 assists, and 4.9 rebounds per game.
The Magic enjoyed a spectacular night shooting from distance during a win over San Antonio on Tuesday, nailing 18 triples. But that’s more the exception than the rule for a club that has been struggling to convert from long range overall in 2024/25, writes Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. “It changes our game completely when we have shooting like that and guys just can’t sit in the paint,” star forward Franz Wagner said. Orlando’s 31.4% three-point rate this season ranks dead last among all 30 NBA clubs. The Magic’s 35.3 outside attempts per game put them 23rd in terms of frequency.