Magic Win the East
Kissimmee, FL— The Osceola Magic, with a chance to book their ticket to the NBA G-League Finals, took care of business on Sunday evening, beating the Maine Celtics 135-122.
Prior Matchups
Osceola and Maine faced off head-to-head twice in the regular season where the Magic won both contests, but each game went down to the wire. Tonight’s performance was a different story as the Magic used that feisty home crowd to propel them to victory.
“It’s funny, the game felt very similar,” Dylan Murphy said of the difference between tonight’s win versus the first two matchups. “We stayed poised, obviously made a couple of shots during that run too and once we started to defend and run, that kind of put us in a position to control the game.”
Mac McClung’s Hot Streak Continues
After scoring 39 points against the Indiana Mad Ants on Thursday night, Mac followed it up with another impressive performance scoring 42 points breaking the franchise playoff scoring record in back-to-back games.
“I felt like I got a rhythm a little bit and I started calling plays and my teammates were like, ‘no we’re running this play’,” Mac McClung said of his performance. “So it’s like when they give you that confidence where they want you to take another shot, it’s hard not to be in flow and not in rhythm when your teammates are literally calling off the play you call to get you the ball.”
Dylan Murphy added: “I’m out of things to say about Mac. I mean, 42 points, efficient, shared the ball, defended really well. And I mean the guy is an NBA player and when he gets his shot he’s gonna stick – He always shows up in big moments and he did it again tonight.”
McClung finished the night with 42 points, three rebounds, and six assists, and shot an efficient 16-of-26 from the floor and 3-of-7 from distance.
“I haven’t lost yet in this league,” Mac on what makes him so confident. “A lot of people have comments on my game, and I’m a winner. That’s what I do, that’s what my track record says.”
Total Team Effort
Osceola had five players score in double figures and three of them scored 20+ points. McClung led the way with 42 points, Myron Gardner had a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds, Javonte Smart scored 17 points off the bench, and both Jalen Slawson and Ethan Thompson scored 20 a piece.
The Magic had another impressive offensive output shooting a blistering 46-of-87 from the floor and 18-of-39 from behind the arch.
JD Davidson
G-League MVP and Celtics guard JD Davidson gave a valiant effort to his group but it ultimately came up just short. Davidson finished with 34 points, 11 assists, and shot 10-of-22 from the floor.
“I got a lot of respect for JD and we’ve had so many battles throughout the years,” Mac McClung on JD Davidson. “I’m rooting for him man, I know he deserves a shot.”
Finals Bound
The Magic have now punched their ticket to the NBA G-League Finals for the second time in franchise history and they will play game one at Silver Spurs Arena on April 8th.