The Greensboro Swarm, the NBA G League affiliate of the Charlotte Hornets, were crowned NBA G League Champions on Friday at Adventist Health Arena, defeating the Stockton Kings, 119-104, and swept the series, 2-0. Greensboro earned its first NBA G League Championship, while the Charlotte Hornets became the first organization to ever win the NBA Las Vegas Summer League and NBA G League Championship in the same season. Two-way forward Tosan Evbuomwan (6'8''-F-2001, college: Princeton) earned NBA G League Finals MVP honors, averaging 18.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists in the series, shooting 50.0% (12-of-24) from the field while adding 1.5 steals. The Swarm was paced by Evbuomwan’s 22 points and seven rebounds, with Liam McNeeley (6'7''-F-2005, college: UConn) and Jaylen Sims (6'6''-G-1998, college: UNCW) recording 21 and 20 points, respectively. Tidjane Salaun (6'9''-F-2005, agency: Network Sports International) and Antonio Reeves (6'5''-G-2000, college: Kentucky) also posted 19 and 15 points, with Greensboro holding the Kings to five 3-pointers. Stockton was led by a trio of 20-point scorers in DaQuan Jeffries (6'5''-G/F-1997, college: Tulsa) (27), Dexter Dennis (6'6''-G-1999, college: Texas A&M) (24) and Patrick Baldwin Jr. (6'9''-G-2002, college: Milwaukee) (20). Greensboro tipped off the contest with a 7-2 run, building to an 11-5 stint behind four scorers. The Swarm retained its lead for the duration of the frame, posting a 17-10 edge, and staying up, 25-19, through the quarter’s end. Play was won by the margins, as the Swarm and Kings shot 10-of-30 (33.3%) and 6-of-23 (26.1%), respectively. Greensboro pushed the pace to yield seven more shot attempts. The Swarm and Kings traded possessions for most of the opening segments of the half, with Greensboro stacking its lead to nine on multiple occasions. Reeves erupted in the half, drilling five 3-pointers in all – including one at the 4:55 mark to hand Greensboro its first- double-digit lead, ahead 46-34. The Swarm kept its double-digit lead for the majority of the half, jumping ahead as large as 14 points and hitting the halftime horn ahead, 62-50. Reeves led the way with 15 points, all from deep (5-of-6 3PT) for the Swarm, with Evbuomwan logging 11 points. Greensboro’s efforts largely came on the defensive side, holding the Kings to a 2-of-15 (13.3%) clip from distance and a 39.4% hit rate from the floor. The Kings’ trio of DaQuan Jeffries (14), Jameer Nelson Jr. (6'1''-PG-2000, college: TCU) (14) and Patrick Baldwin Jr. (10) accounted for all but 12 (76%) of the team’s first-half points. Stockton opened the second half on a 7–0 run, trimming the deficit to five before a timely drive from McNeeley produced a pair of free throws to briefly halt the surge. The Kings kept their foot on the gas, capping a 25–13 stretch by tying the game at 75–75 with 5:17 remaining in the quarter. Greensboro kept the seal on the lead with five-straight points, holding on for an 89-83 lead at the close of the quarter. The Swarm built some stock slashing inside, yielding foul trouble for Gabe Levin (6'8''-F-1994, college: LBSU) (5), Nelson Jr. (5) and Jeffries (4), while Stockton lived off a 14-point quarter from Dexter Dennis Jr. and nine from Jeffries. Greensboro and Stockton exchanged jabs to open the fourth quarter – but the Swarm rallied, moving its lead back to double digits with seven minutes to play. Stockton drew the game back to single digits in the closing half of play, but a pair of back-to-back threes from Sims and Evbuomwan put the game out of reach. The Swarm became the first NBA G League Champion since the 2022-23 season to sweep the entire playoff bracket, among non-single-elimination formats.
Courtesy of: greensboro.gleague.nba.com

The Salt Lake City Stars were crowned 2025 Winter Showcase Champions following a dominant 137-112 victory over Raptors 905 on Monday night, handing the previously unbeaten Raptors their first loss of the season. The title marks the second Winter Showcase championship in franchise history, with the first coming during the inaugural tournament in 2019. Raptors 905 opened the game quickly, building a nine-point lead in the first four minutes. Salt Lake City responded with a nine-point run of its own, and an Oscar Tshiebwe (6'8''-F-1999, college: Kentucky) layup tied the game at 17-17 with 6:22 remaining in the first quarter. The Stars seized control from there, never relinquishing the lead and stretching the advantage to as many as 16 before taking a 44-28 lead into halftime. The Stars' offensive surge continued after the break. A Justin Harmon (6'4''-G-2001, college: Illinois) layup at the 7:44 mark of the fourth quarter pushed Salt Lake City's lead to a game-high 28 points, sealing the championship win. Second-year guard Max Abmas (6'0''-PG-2001, college: Texas) led the Stars with a team-high 29 points (9-16 FGM, 6-10 3PM) and four assists. His performance earned him 2025 Winter Showcase Championship MVP honors. Seven Stars finished in double figures, with three surpassing 20 points. From the starting lineup, Elijah Harkless (6'4''-G-2000, college: UNLV) scored 25 points, while Mohamed Bamba (7'0''-C-1998, college: Texas) added 17, Justin Harmon had 11 and John Tonje (6'6''-G-2001, college: Wisconsin) finished with 10. The bench provided a major spark, led by Abmas (29), followed by Sean East II (21) and Matthew Murrell (6'4''-G-2001, college: Ole Miss) (17). Raptors 905 were led by Alijah Martin (6'2''-G-2001, college: Florida), who scored 33 points, while A.J. Lawson (6'6''-SG-2000, college: S.Carolina) added 18. The Stars return to Salt Lake City as Winter Showcase champions and will enjoy an extended break before resuming regular-season play. Salt Lake City returns to action Wednesday, Dec. 31, at 6 p.m. MT against the Memphis Hustle at the Maverik Center in West Valley City, Utah.
Courtesy of: oursportscentral.com