– Green, Kuminga Pair Together 20-Point Performances –
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. Feb. 12, 2021 – A pair of 20-point performances by Jalen Green and Jonathan Kuminga lifted NBA G League Ignite (2-0) to its second consecutive victory, pushing past Oklahoma City Blue (1-1), 109-103, Friday afternoon at AdventHealth Arena near Orlando, Fla.
In a game that featured 18 lead changes, Ignite’s elite youth led the way, highlighted by 21 points from Green and 24 from Kuminga. Green added five rebounds, one block and one steal, while Kuminga, who scored 19 points in Wednesday’s season opener, added six rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block.
Isaiah Todd found his rhythm in the second half to produce 12 total points and seven rebounds alongside one assist and one steal. Jarrett Jack also scored in double figures with 16 points and a game-high nine assists, and Donta Hall was just one point shy of a double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds.
Green, who scored nine of his 11 points in Wednesday’s season opener in the second half, showed no signs of a slow start Friday against the Blue, throwing down an emphatic dunk to open the game. Green and fellow rookies Kuminga and Todd got on the board early, combining for 16 of the team’s 20 first-quarter points.
Jessie Govan made his Ignite debut in the second quarter, chipping in eight points, including two 3-pointers, to keep the game tight. Following a half that saw five lead changes and 12 ties, Oklahoma City led 48-43.
The Blue built its largest lead of the game, 78-69, with 32.1 seconds left in the third quarter, but a 3-pointer by Amir Johnson at the 19-second mark kept the Oklahoma City lead within single digits.
Todd poured in seven-straight early in the fourth and Johnson added a layup to power an Ignite run that brought the team back within one point, and the teams continued to trade baskets through the final stretch. Following a pair of free throws by Kuminga, Ignite led by three points, 102-99, at the one-minute mark, and the team never relinquished its lead.
Ignite continues the first of its four back-to-backs tomorrow, facing off against a 1-1 Raptors 905 squad at 7 p.m., live from AdventHealth Arena and on ESPN+.