The Stockton Kings secured their first NBA G-League Finals Championship in the third and final game of the series with a 118-110 win against the Osceola Magic on Monday night.
Mason Jones went down in the fourth quarter with an ankle injury, but his teammates stepped up to secure the victory. Dealing with double-teams all series long, the guard was awarded the NBA G-League Finals MVP.
Head coach Quinton Crawford’s team secured the best regular season record and ended their year with a ring. A banner will be raised in Stockton Arena next season.
Stockton at Osceola Game Notes
Game two was an offensive showcase as Stoctkon put up 144 points in regulation, but Monday night’s matchup had a different feeling.
Both teams struggled to convert early on, with Stockton’s M. Jones getting double-teamed from the jump, as has been the case all series.
Former King Jalen Slawson made his presence known early with a few blocks and buckets as Osceola punched first.
Rookie Isaac Jones, who had his two-way contract converted to a standard deal with Sacramento earlier this season, was on assignment and available coming off the bench for Stockton head coach Quinton Crawford.
M. Jones and Mac McClung usually led their respective squads’ offensive outputs, but had quiet starts in the third and final game of the Finals series.
It took McClung eight minutes to score his first bucket, while M. Jones failed to convert in the opening quarter despite playing the entire frame.
Myron Gardner tallied eight points (4/4 FG) and seven rebounds in the first quarter, helping the Magic jump out to a 29-21 lead at the end of one.
Turnovers continued to plague Stockton, enabling the Magic to put together a 17-4 run after being tied at 17.
After starting the game 0/6 from the field, all from beyond the arc, M. Jones got on the board after attacking the rim at the 8:07 mark of the second.
Stockton didn’t lead in the first half, but recovered to a narrow six-point deficit (55-49) heading into halftime.
The Kings converted 37 percent of their attempts up to that point compared to Osceola’s 42 percent. Neither team made more than four triples up to that point, as turnovers and subsequent scoring stole the show early.
Terry Taylor and Dexter Dennis found a rhythm as the Magic continued to put their defensive focus on M. Jones.
Stockton’s leading scorer found his way into double digits in the second quarter, but the Magic put together a 8-0 run n as triples began to fall, taking a 72-59 lead in front of their home crowd.
The Kings responded with a run of their own, trailing 73-82 headed into the final frame.
With the G-League championship on the line and one quarter to play, Stockton started to build momentum.
A 9-0 run to start the quarter tied the game before another triple gave them their first lead of the night (85-82) with just over nine minutes to play.
But M. Jones stepped on the foot of an Osceola player, rolling his right ankle before needing to be helped to the locker room. Stockton was forced to close the final game of their championship run with their best player on the sidelines.
Skal Labissiere knocked down two huge triples, then another bucket around the rim to contribute eight straight as the Kings went on a 14-0 run to lead 104-95 with less than two minutes.
The Magic continued to try and claw their way back, but enough timely Stockton buckets allowed them to secure their first G-League title in franchise history.
Despite going down early, M. Jones ended the night with 19 points and 13 assists, securing the G-League Finals MVP.
They held Osceola’s McClung to 11 points on 4/21 shooting.
Dennis (23), Taylor (22), and I. Jones (21) all surpassed the 20-point mark as the Kings converted 44.6 percent from the field in their championship-clenching efforts.
Couldn’t have happened to a better guy!! Shoutout Mason, who balled out in Stockton all season long https://t.co/g8ypRLfO7I pic.twitter.com/iBY90zeje8
— Brenden Nunes (@BrendenNunesNBA) April 15, 2025
More Kings coverage on Sactown Sports
The Sacramento Kings find themselves in the NBA play-in tournament once again, as they’re set to host the Dallas Mavericks in the 9/10 matchup Wednesday night in Golden 1 Center.
Having swept the Mavericks 3-0 in their regular season battles in encouraging, but both rosters have seen significant turnover throughout the year.
None of their previous matchups featured Anthony Davis or Luka Doncic. Their first matchup was days after Mike Brown’s firing, when De’Aaron Fox was still a member of the Kings.
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Defensive rebounds, pace expected be crucial in Kings, Mavs matchup
When is the next Sacramento Kings game?
It’s win-or-go-home time for Sacramento.
The postseason has arrived as the Kings will play in a do-or-die Play-In game against the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night at Golden 1 Center.
If Sacramento wins, they will advance to play the loser of the seventh vs. eighth seed game on Friday night on the road.
The Kings had Dallas’ number this season, sweeping the three-game regular season series while winning each contest by an average of 11.6 points. While the Mavericks have struggled on the road this season (17-24), they have found success at Golden 1 Center over the years (4-3 in Sacramento since the start of the 2020-21 season).
Be sure to catch all of the Sacramento Kings vs. Dallas Mavericks drama right here on Sactown Sports 1140 AM, with pregame coverage starting at 5:30 PM PT on Game Night before action tips off at 7:00 PM PT from downtown Sacramento.
Upcoming schedule for the 2024-25 Sacramento Kings
- Wednesday, April 16th – vs. Dallas Mavericks – Time TBD (Western Conference Play-In Tournament – 9th vs. 10th seed game)
- Friday, April 18th – TBD – Western Conference Play-In Tournament (8th seed game)
- Sunday, April 20th – Start of the NBA Playoffs
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