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Miye Oni has been a contributor for the Osceola Magic for the entire season. He and the team return to the Silver Spurs Arena on Thursday to play the Westchester Knicks. PHOTO/KATIE WILLIAMS
After starting the “second regular season” of the NBA G League on a seven-game road trip, the Osceola Magic begin a stretch of seven home games in 18 games Thursday.
The Magic, who went 4-3 on the road trip, hosts the Westchester Knicks at 7 p.m. at the Silver Spurs Arena.
The team won its third game in a row in a special Monday afternoon matinee in honor of Martin Luther King Day, toppling the Greensboro Swarm, 119-115. The Magic took a 58-51 halftime lead, led by as many as 12 in the fourth quarter and held on for victory.
Jett Howard, the 11th pick in last year’s NBA Draft, led the way with 32 points and was 6-of-11 shooting from beyond the 3-point line. Howard is averaging 23 points in five games with Osceola.
“The team has done a great job at sharing the ball,” Howard said. “As a shooter, I get most of my buckets by them creating disadvantages. The more they share the ball, the more I eat. After losing three straight in a row on the road, we have come together and found our camaraderie. I’m very proud of our team.”
Forward D.J. Wilson collected a double-double, contributing 15 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists.
“We’re fortunate to have a bunch of great scorers out there. It’s great to be able to come back and win three in a row,” Wilson said. “We can’t wait to play at home on Thursday.”
The team will look a bit different Thursday than when they last played at the Spurs on Dec. 16. Trevelin Queen, on a two-way contract with the Orlando Magic, has been called to duty by the big club, and guard Brandon Williams, who had been averaging nearly 24 points per game, was signed to his own two-way deal by the Dallas Mavericks.
Last week, the team acquired guard Jared Wilson-Frame from the NBA G League Player Pool. The 6-5 Wilson-Frame played eight G League games last season for the Greensboro Swarm and Iowa Wolves, averaging 5.9 points per game. He did not appear in Osceola’s games Monday or Saturday, a 108-97 win in Greensboro that Howard again led with 22 points, Mac McClung added 21 and Alex Morales and Kevon Harris chipped in 20 and 18 off the bench.
The Magic will also play at home on Monday and Wednesday against the Cleveland Charge. The first 1,000 fans through the door each night receive a themed giveaway.
