With playoff hopes fading, Ignite look to give ‘everything’ in finale
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — With their playoff hopes fading fast, the NBA G League Ignite will look to empty the tank on Saturday and finish out the regular season on a high note.
The playoff hopes of the young development team, who could have clinched a berth with a win and a loss by the Westchester Knicks, took a massive hit on Thursday following a 130-107 loss to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.
The final score may not be indicative of the actual result, with the Vipers leading by as many as 31 points in the contest.
Houston Rockets assignee Kevin Porter Jr. produced a game-high 28 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds, finishing just short of his second triple-double of the season. The Vipers also received key contributions from Armoni Brooks and Josh Reaves, who combined for 46 points.
Jalen Green led the Ignite with 22 points for his eighth 20-point game of the season, while Isaiah Todd, who started in place of the injured Jonathan Kuminga, recorded 16 points and seven rebounds. Kuminga suffered a right knee injury on Wednesday when he landed awkwardly on a play.
Ignite head coach Brian Shaw doesn’t believe the injury is serious.
“When we got the news that J.K. wasn’t going to play today, that was kind of a gut punch to us a little bit,” Shaw said. “He has been managing tendonitis since we were back in Walnut Creek before we got here. I think it’s just inflamed but our trainer will get him checked out and just make sure that it’s nothing serious. From what I know at this point, it has been the same thing we’ve been managing the whole time. There is no need to make it any worse so (it was just) precautionary to sit him out.”
Following the loss, the Ignite dropped to 7-7 on the season, on the outside looking in on the playoff picture. The top eight teams will qualify for the postseason as the Ignite will need a win on Saturday versus the Austin Spurs and some help to sneak in.
While the odds are stacked against them, the team is looking to finish the regular season strong.
“We got one more game, it doesn’t look like it’s in our favor to advance but we still have to be professionals and play the schedule out,” Shaw said. “I just want to see us compete. Win or lose, just go out and give it everything we have and we can live with the results. These are the situations that are tough to be in, especially if we find out before Saturday that mathematically we’re eliminated, to still keep that energy up to play a game that is meaningless.”
The inaugural season for the Ignite wasn’t necessarily about wins and losses, but, rather, the development of players like Green, Kuminga, Todd and Daishen Nix. The group has learned the ins and outs of the NBA game and that should help them moving forward.
While the playoffs appear to be unlikely at this point, getting those young prospects at least one more game of experience can only pay off in the long run.
This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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