2018–19_NBA_G_League_season
2018–19 NBA G League season
Sports season
The 2018–19 NBA G League season was the 18th season of the NBA G League, the official minor league basketball organization owned by the National Basketball Association (NBA).
| 2018–19 NBA G League season | |
|---|---|
| League | NBA G League |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Draft | |
| Top draft pick | Willie Reed |
| Picked by | Salt Lake City Stars |
| Regular season | |
| Top seed | Long Island Nets Rio Grande Valley Vipers |
| Season MVP | Chris Boucher (Raptors 905) |
| Finals | |
| Champions | Rio Grande Valley Vipers |
| Runners-up | Long Island Nets |
| Finals MVP | Isaiah Hartenstein (Rio Grande Valley) |
| NBA G League seasons | |
The league expanded by one team, the Capital City Go-Go owned by the Washington Wizards, to have 27 teams for the season.[1]
There were three relocations, with two of them within the team's existing market. The most significant relocation was that of the Reno Bighorns, which were moved by their parent club, the Sacramento Kings, to Stockton, California and renamed the Stockton Kings.[2] One of the in-market relocations was that of the Delaware 87ers, which were moved into a new nearby facility in Wilmington from their former home in Newark, and rebranded as the Delaware Blue Coats.[3] Finally, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers moved within the urban area at the southernmost end of Texas, going from Hidalgo to nearby Edinburg with the opening of Bert Ogden Arena.[4]
With the addition of the Go-Go, the league slightly realigned its six divisions. The Go-Go were added to the Southeast and Delaware was shifted to the Atlantic.[5]
During the season, league president Malcolm Turner stepped down to become the athletics director at Vanderbilt University. He was replaced by Shareef Abdur-Rahim.[6]
Final standings:[7]
x – qualified for playoffs; y – Division champion; z – Conference champion
Eastern Conference
- Atlantic Division
| Team (affiliate) | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| z – Long Island Nets (BKN) | 34 | 16 | .680 | 0 | 19–6 | 15–10 |
| x – Westchester Knicks (NYK) | 29 | 21 | .580 | 5 | 16–9 | 13–12 |
| x – Raptors 905 (TOR) | 29 | 21 | .580 | 5 | 13–12 | 16–9 |
| Delaware Blue Coats (PHI) | 21 | 29 | .420 | 13 | 13–12 | 8–17 |
| Maine Red Claws (BOS) | 19 | 31 | .380 | 15 | 11–14 | 8–17 |
- Central Division
| Team (affiliate) | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y – Grand Rapids Drive (DET) | 28 | 22 | .560 | 0 | 14–11 | 14–11 |
| x – Windy City Bulls (CHI) | 27 | 23 | .540 | 1 | 15–10 | 12–13 |
| Fort Wayne Mad Ants (IND) | 23 | 27 | .460 | 5 | 14–11 | 9–16 |
| Canton Charge (CLE) | 22 | 28 | .429 | 6 | 10–15 | 12–13 |
| Wisconsin Herd (MIL) | 12 | 38 | .240 | 16 | 8–17 | 4–21 |
- Southeast Division
| Team (affiliate) | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y – Lakeland Magic (ORL) | 32 | 18 | .640 | 0 | 18–7 | 14–11 |
| Capital City Go-Go (WAS) | 25 | 25 | .500 | 7 | 14–11 | 11–14 |
| Greensboro Swarm (CHA) | 24 | 26 | .480 | 8 | 10–15 | 14–11 |
| Erie BayHawks (ATL) | 24 | 26 | .469 | 8 | 17–8 | 7–18 |
Western Conference
- Midwest Division
| Team (affiliate) | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y – Oklahoma City Blue (OKC) | 34 | 16 | .680 | 0 | 17–8 | 17–8 |
| x – Memphis Hustle (MEM) | 28 | 22 | .560 | 6 | 16–9 | 12–13 |
| Sioux Falls Skyforce (MIA) | 24 | 26 | .480 | 10 | 13–12 | 11–14 |
| Iowa Wolves (MIN) | 20 | 30 | .400 | 14 | 13–12 | 7–18 |
- Pacific Division
| Team (affiliate) | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y – Santa Cruz Warriors (GSW) | 34 | 16 | .680 | 0 | 20–5 | 14–11 |
| x – Stockton Kings (SAC) | 30 | 20 | .600 | 4 | 18–7 | 12–13 |
| Agua Caliente Clippers (LAC) | 26 | 24 | .520 | 8 | 14–11 | 12–13 |
| South Bay Lakers (LAL) | 21 | 29 | .420 | 13 | 13–12 | 8–17 |
| Northern Arizona Suns (PHX) | 12 | 38 | .240 | 22 | 7–18 | 5–20 |
- Southwest Division
| Team (affiliate) | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| z – Rio Grande Valley Vipers (HOU) | 34 | 16 | .680 | 0 | 18–7 | 16–9 |
| x – Salt Lake City Stars (UTA) | 27 | 23 | .540 | 7 | 15–10 | 12–13 |
| Austin Spurs (SAS) | 20 | 30 | .400 | 14 | 13–12 | 7–18 |
| Texas Legends (DAL) | 16 | 34 | .320 | 18 | 14–11 | 2–23 |
For the second straight season, the league enacted a six-team playoff, with one-game series for the first three rounds and first-round byes for the top two seeds in each conference. For the Finals, a tiebreaker was required since both teams had the same record, for which there existed three tiebreakers: best winning percentage against each other, record against the other conference, or random drawing, which resulted in the Long Island Nets hosting the first and last game of the Finals against the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. The Nets won Game 1 117–107, but the Vipers won Game 2 127–116 and then won the series in Game 3 129–112 to win their third league title, most for any team in history.[8][9]
| First Round (March 26 & March 27) | Conference Semifinals (March 29) | Conference Finals (April 2) | Finals (April 7, 9, 12) Best-of-three | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Long Island Nets | 112 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Raptors 905 | 99 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Raptors 905 | 91 | |||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Grand Rapids Drive | 90 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Long Island Nets | 108 | |||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Lakeland Magic | 106 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Westchester Knicks | 95 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Windy City Bulls | 82 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Lakeland Magic | 104 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Westchester Knicks | 91 | |||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Long Island Nets | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| W1 | Rio Grande Valley Vipers | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Rio Grande Valley Vipers | 135 | |||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Memphis Hustle | 118 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Stockton Kings | 119 | |||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Memphis Hustle | 122 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Rio Grande Valley Vipers | 144 | |||||||||||||||||
| Western Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Santa Cruz Warriors | 125 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Oklahoma City Blue | 118 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Salt Lake City Stars | 113 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Santa Cruz Warriors | 117 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Oklahoma City Blue | 102 | |||||||||||||||||
Finals boxscore
| Rio Grande Valley Vipers 107, Long Island Nets 117 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 18–37, 31–22, 27–31, 31–27 | ||
| Pts: Jordan Johnson 23 Rebs: Isaiah Hartenstein 17 Asts: Jordan Johnson 3 |
Pts: Dzanan Musa23 Thomas Wimbush 23 Rebs: Alan Williams 16 Asts: Tahjere McCall 4 | |
Island Federal Credit Union Arena, Stony Brook, New York Attendance: 2,431 Referees:
|
| Long Island Nets 116, Rio Grande Valley Vipers 127 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–27, 29–37, 30–30, 30–33 | ||
| Pts: Theo Pinson 32 Rebs: Theo Pinson 11 Asts: Jordan McLaughlin 6 |
Pts: Isaiah Hartenstein 33 Rebs: Isaiah Hartenstein 13 Asts: Jordan Johnson 9 | |
Bert Ogden Arena, Edinburg, Texas Attendance: 8,208 Referees:
|
| Rio Grande Valley Vipers 129, Long Island Nets 112 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 38–24, 37–23, 28–27, 26–38 | ||
| Pts: Isaiah Hartenstein 30 Rebs: Isaiah Hartenstein 17 Asts: Michael Frazier II 6 |
Pts: Alan Williams 26 Rebs: Alan Williams 21 Asts: Jordan McLaughlin 9 | |
| Rio Grande Valley wins series, 2–1 | ||
Island Federal Credit Union Arena, Stony Brook, New York Attendance: 2,783 Referees:
|
Individual statistic leaders
| Category | Player | Team | Statistic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points per game | Jordan McRae | Capital City Go-Go | 30.4 |
| Rebounds per game | Isaiah Hartenstein | Rio Grande Valley Vipers | 14.8 |
| Assists per game | Marcus Williams | Stockton Kings | 9.6 |
| Steals per game | Gary Payton II | Rio Grande Valley Vipers | 3.0 |
| Blocks per game | Amida Brimah | Austin Spurs | 3.0 |
| Turnovers per game | Gary Payton II | Rio Grande Valley Vipers | 3.9 |
| Fouls per game | Norvel Pelle | Delaware Blue Coats | 3.7 |
| Minutes per game | Nick Johnson | Wisconsin Herd | 35.5 |
| FG% | Norvel Pelle | Delaware Blue Coats | 70.3 |
| FT% | Dusty Hannahs | Memphis Hustle | 92.6 |
| 3FG% | Keith Hornsby | Texas Legends | 48.5 |
| +/− | Chris Boucher | Raptors 905 | 8.4 |
| Double-doubles | Ángel Delgado | Agua Caliente Clippers | 36 |
| Triple-doubles | Shannon Scott | Long Island Nets | 3 |
Individual game highs
| Category | Player | Team | Statistic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points | Tyler Harvey | Memphis Hustle | 58 |
| Rebounds | Angel Delgado | Agua Caliente Clippers | 31 |
| Assists | Shannon Scott | Long Island Nets | 20 |
| Steals | Brianté Weber | Sioux Falls Skyforce | 8 |
| Blocks | Chris Boucher | Raptors 905 | 9 |
| Three-pointers | Tyler Harvey | Memphis Hustle | 12 |
Team statistic leaders
| Category | Team | Statistic |
|---|---|---|
| Points per game | Long Island Nets | 117.7 |
| Rebounds per game | Long Island Nets | 53.9 |
| Assists per game | Erie BayHawks | 26.7 |
| Steals per game | Santa Cruz Warriors | 10.8 |
| Blocks per game | Austin Spurs | 7.8 |
| Turnovers per game | Rio Grande Valley Vipers | 19.8 |
| FG% | Agua Caliente Clippers | 47.9 |
| FT% | Lakeland Magic | 78.6 |
| 3FG% | Lakeland Magic | 37.8 |
| +/− | Oklahoma City Blue | 5.2 |
- Dybas, Todd (June 20, 2017). "Washington Wizards purchase a G League team". The Washington Times. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
- Phillips, Roger (April 17, 2018). "A regal welcome for the Stockton Kings". The Record. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
- Tornoe, Rob (March 28, 2018). "Sixers rename G-League team as work continues on new sports complex". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
- "Doors officially open at Bert Ogden Arena in Edinburg". Harlingen, TX: KGBT-TV. August 27, 2018. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
- "NBA G League Tips Off 2018-19 Season On November 2". G League. August 27, 2018.
- "Shareef Abdur-Rahim Named NBA G League President as Malcolm Turner Steps Down". OurSportsCentral.com. December 11, 2018.
- "NBA G League Standings". NBA G League. Retrieved March 23, 2019.