McClung, Queen to be featured in NBA All-Star festivities
The Osceola Magic are back in the thick of it in the NBA G League standings. Despite having a seven-game win streak snapped by the Grand Rapids Gold (9-10) on Monday, the Magic are 11-7 and in sixth place in the Eastern Conference heading into the league's All-Star Break.
Monday, Ethan Thompson, who the Orlando Magic signed as a two-way player on Friday joining Mac McClung and Trevelin Queen, led the Magic with with 27 points on 7-of-16 shooting from the floor and 5-of-10 from three. Jarrett Culver scored 24 points off the bench.
Thompson has been the standout the team has needed with Queen's full-time promotion to Orlando. He averaged 17.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.1 assists per game in the 18 games of regular-season action.
The 119-115 win Sunday over the Grand Rapids Gold tied a franchise record for a winning streak, last done last season from Feb. 4 to March 4. Forward/center Colin Castleton, who arrived with the Osceola Magic 10 games ago, scored 22 points along with McClung to lead the team and also grabbed 13 rebounds for his eighth double-double in those 10 games. Alex Morales was en fuego from the field, hitting on 9-of-10 shots from the field.
Last season Osceola finished with the best record in the Eastern Conference. Currently the Magic sit in the final playoff spot in the tightly-packed East; while they are just 1.5 games out of first place, they are also only two games ahead of 11th among 16 teams, meaning winning will be a premium when the team returns from the All-Star break.
While most of the team will not see action again until Feb. 21 against the Long Island Nets, McClung and Queen will be featured during the All-Star festivities in the San Francisco bay area this weekend. McClung will appear with other G League players in the Castrol Rising Stars game alongside other first and second-year NBA players on Friday night. Players, like the Orlando Magic's Anthony Black and Tristan da Silva, have been placed on four teams, and the winning team of the four-team tournament that starts on Friday at 8:30 p.m. Eastern on TNT will earn a place in Sunday's NBA All-Star Game against three other teams of NBA All-Stars, who will be competing in their own four-team tourney on Sunday.
And, as announced last week, McClung will will again take flight in the 2025 AT&T Slam Dunk contest on Saturday, hoping to become just its second three-time champion (Nate Robinson won in 2006, 2009 and 2010 while with the New York Knicks.) and the first three-peat winner. The dunk event will air starting at 8 p.m. Eastern time on TNT. McClung is the two-time reigning AT&T Slam Dunk champion after winning in 2023 while with the Philadelphia 76ers and in 2024 as a member of the Osceola Magic.
On Sunday, Queen will play in the NBA G League Up Next Game, with his spot earned by a fan vote. It will be played at NBA Crossover in the Moscone Center. The tournament-formatted event will be televised on Tubi on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. Eastern. Last year he was named MVP of the final game (it was also played in the four-team, three-game format) leading Team EYL to the victory.
Queen appeared in nine games with Osceola during the Tip-Off Tournament portion of the schedule and averaged 22.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 2.1 steals per game. He's since been called up to Orlando, and in 20 NBA games (with two starts) he's averaging 5.2 ppg., 1.7 rpg., 1.5 apg. and 1.1 stlpg.
Later in February, The Magic will have have three players competing in the 2025 FIBA AmeriCup Qualifiers in Puerto Rico and the Bahamas. Javonte Smart was selected to his second USA Men’s AmeriCup Qualifying team. Thompson and Morales will be representing the Puerto Rico Men’s National Team.
The United States will play Puerto Rico on Thur. Feb. 20 in San Juan, Puerto Rico at 8 p.m. and then Bahamas on Sun. Feb. 23 in Nassau, Bahamas at 7 p.m. Puerto Rico’s second game will be against Cuba on Sun. Feb 23. at 7 p.m.
The Magic’s next home game will be Sun. Mar. 2 against the Windy City Bulls. The Magic will be hosting Teacher Appreciation Night, and the first 1,000 fans will receive a Swish bobblehead.
