Mac McClung scores 35; Osceola now 3rd in NBA G League East
The Osceola Magic look ready for another playoff run as they dominated the first-place Greensboro Swarm, 124-110, in a game that wasn’t close on Sunday afternoon at the Silver Spurs Arena.
The Magic (15-9) moved to sole possession of third place in the Eastern Conference and a half game out of first behind Greensboro (17-10) and Capitol City (16-9), who won earlier in the day. These two teams play again on Tuesday night at 7 p.m.
“We have a lot of good players and good people, too. So, I know with those two combinations, we were gonna figure it out,” Osceola guard Mac McClung said of the teams’ turnaround after struggling early in the season. “Nobody is halfway in. Everybody's all in. I said it was just a matter of time.”
The Magic never let the Swarm back into the game after taking a 29-point lead midway through the third quarter. The key was great defense and rebounding by the entire Magic team. In the middle of the third quarter Osceola had 17 more rebounds than Greensboro.
The blowout is even more impressive as Osceola’s defense was made more challenging now that the Magic are one of the smaller teams in the G League. In the last two weeks the Magic have lost two key players in Robert Baker (to ALBA-Berlin in Germany) and center Colin Castleton (10-day NBA contract in Toronto).
“Our guys take a ton of pride on [the defensive] end,” Osceola Magic Head Coach Dylan Murphy said. “Now without Colin we have to play a little bit differently. We are trying to accomplish staying in the same defensive attitude, so our guys are committed to that end. That's why we really didn’t fall off without Colin and without Robert.”
“We're super proud and happy for them,” he added of the two players promotions. “It's our job to adjust and figure out how to play. Then the next man steps up and that's what's gonna happen.”
Osceola was led by McClung’s double-double of 35 points and 11 assists. McClung, the 3-time NBA Dunk Champion, even dunked in the third quarter and hung on the rim.
“We like to play fast, best and everybody shares the ball, so it found my hands a lot and I'm glad some shots are going down,” McClung said, adding he is never focused on looking to dunk in games.
Murphy noted that Myron Gardner is one of the next players up. Gardner, now a starter in the wake of the changes, added 25 points and eight rebounds to the win. He credited the team’s defensive attitude with his defensive and rebounding focus.
“Our philosophy always is to play with physicality, be tough, smarter, harder,” Gardner said. “So, we knew after that first quarter [the importance] of the keeping that momentum.”
Javonte Smart (22 points), Ethan Thompson (14 points), Jarrett Culver (14 points), and Jalen Slawson (12 points) all added double-digit efforts.
The rout started with a 13-0 run between the first and second quarter to give Osceola an early 11-point lead. The Magic ended the second period on a 10-2 run to take a 20-point lead highlighted by McClung’s consecutive 3-pointers.
The game was tight early with Thompson hitting a free throw to give Osceola a 30-28 lead. The game was close despite, the Swarm’s Keyontae Johnson carrying his team with 15 points in the first quarter. At times, the smaller Magic seemed to have no answer for the 6-4 forward from Kansas State. But they solved the Johnson problem the rest of the game.
