LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Behind a strong win, and with a little help in standing, the NBA G League Ignite on Saturday grabbed a playoff playoff and will play at least one more game in their starting season.
Amir Johnson averaged 27 points at match level, on a perfect 12-of-12 shot from the field, Isaiah Todd scored 25 points at season and 11 rebounds and Jalen Green had 18 points during the 127-92 win. over the Austin Spurs at AdventHealth Arena.
The 35-point winning margin was the biggest of the season for the Ignite.
The Ignite drew 11-4 early to start the tournament but used a 17-0 run to pull ahead of the Spurs. The group, led by Johnson’s play, comfortably led through the rest of the game to end the regular season with an 8-7 record and bid for the final playoff spot.
“Everyone did their best,” said Ignite head coach Brian Shaw. “We had 33 assistants, 19 at half-time, which gave us a boost on the defensive end. This is probably the most complete and best game we have ever played in the bubble insultingly and defensively. We did it when it counted against a team where we were the undergraduate. ”
Johnson’s play, which had just four games this season in double figures, came when the Ignite needed the majority.
Johnson entered the season as one of the veterans on the roster and has often given enough advice to the youngsters this off-court season. His achievement proved that he still has plenty to give on the court, which made his young players proud.
“Man, Amir is my boy,” said Todd. “His room is next to mine. I pick up the brain all the time. For me to see that from Amir, I was so happy for it. Maybe I’m going to throw some water on it later. He gave me a butterfly when I saw it doing that. ”
From the jump, the Ignite looked to be a team eager to win after dropping their last three games by an average of 18.6 points. They took control of a number of statistical areas, including rebounds, aids and points in the paint, and fired 55.7% off the field, high-season.
Going into Saturday’s play, the Ignite needed a win over the Spurs and a loss with the OKC Blue to advance to the playoffs. Before Ignite retired, Jeremy Lin led the Santa Cruz Warriors to a time win over the Blue just steps away at HP Field House to help the Ignite survive.
The Ignite were locked into that tournament before facing the Spurs.
“I didn’t look at a scoreboard because I don’t even know how to pick up the game on my phone, to be honest with you,” Shaw said. “Everyone else on the bus had their game on their phone so they were kind of shouting what the score was. By the time we reached this field, we knew the Warriors had won and then we had to win or go home. ”
Now, the Ignite prepare to start the playoffs starting Monday against the Raptors 905, the highest seed in the league. The Ignite have beaten the previous 905 on February 13 but Shaw and the team know they are a different group from when they beat them before.
“We all share group conversation and always put together inspiring stuff,” Johnson said. “We usually text to see where everyone’s mind is and everyone on the team is hungry. Everyone on the team (wants) to win this whole tournament. Everyone ‘s mind has won and everyone is hungry. ”
The Ignite versus 905 will launch at 3:45 pm EST on ESPN2.
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