The Lakeland Magic, NBA G League affiliate of the Orlando Magic, defeat the Motor City Cruise 110-99 on Monday at the Wayne State Fieldhouse.
The Cruise led throughout the entire first quarter, Motor City guard Jared Rhoden scored 10 first-quarter points on four of five shooting. Motor City led Lakeland at the end of the first 32-26.
The Magic started off the second quarter strong, they gained their first lead of the game with 6:49 remaining. Magic guard Jay Scrubb scored 10 points in the second quarter, the Magic who had once trailed by eight now led the Cruise 50-48 at the end of the half.
Neither team could gain a major edge in the third quarter. Jay Scrubb and R.J. Hampton scored 10 points each helping the Magic lead 85-83 at the end of the third.
The Cruise tried to keep the momentum going their way, but the Magic would not give up. Lakeland had come back and gained their largest lead of the game 100-93 with 3:24 remaining. The Magic defeated the Cruise 110-99. “The G League has been great. It is a much faster pace than the NBA, I get to use my speed to my advantage. My teammates have found me when I’ve been open and I’m finding them. We’ve been winning games and the fans have been great. Getting more reps has kept my cardio up and I’m ready to play whenever my number is called,” Hampton said.
R.J. Hampton finished with a game-high 36 points and seven rebounds off the bench for the Magic. Zavier Simpson had a double-double scoring 15 points and 11 assists.
Jared Rhoden finished with 23 points and seven rebounds for the Cruise.
The Lakeland Magic (3-2) will face the Westchester Knicks on Wednesday, January 11 at the RP Funding Center at 7:00 PM on ESPN+