March 23, 2022 (GREENSBORO, N.C.) – The Greensboro Swarm, the NBA G League affiliate of the Charlotte Hornets, shot 50 percent from the field to topple the Lakeland Magic (Orlando Magic affiliate) 123-112 on Wednesday at the Fieldhouse at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex. The victory ended a 14-game skid for the Swarm and the defeat was Lakeland’s fifth loss in their last seven games.
Greensboro (7-21) held a 10-point edge entering halftime, 67-57, after recording 14 assists on 22 made baskets. The offensive output in the first 24 minutes of the game matched a team-best for points in the first half this season. The offensive onslaught carried through intermission where the Swarm maintained their lead until the final buzzer.
The Hornets assignment players were particularly effective in the second half of the contest. James Bouknight scored 10 of his 17 points in the final two quarters. He also added seven assists, six rebounds, a steal and a block in 31 minutes. Kai Jones, playing in his 27th game with the Swarm, had 10 of his 12 rebounds in the second half to go with 15 points in 29 minutes.
The other Greensboro players to score at least 10 points were Scottie Lewis (20 points), Arnoldas Kulboka (15 points), Cameron McGriff (15 points, six rebounds), Joe Chealey (14 points, five assists), Jarrell Brantley (14 points, six rebounds) and Jalen Crutcher (10 points, six assists).
Lakeland (9-18) played with an eight-man rotation and was paced by Aleem Ford who had a game-high 30 points and five rebounds in 39 minutes. Hassani Gravett had a triple-double effort of 21 points, 10 assists and 11 rebounds in 39 minutes. Devin Cannady hit five 3-pointers to finish with 17 points.
Greensboro has five games remaining this season. The Swarm open a back-to-back on Friday with the Westchester Knicks (New York Knicks affiliate) followed by a matchup with the Long Island Nets (Brooklyn Nets affiliate) on Saturday. Next week, Maine closes out the Swarm home schedule with games on Tuesday (March 29) and Thursday (March 31). The season concludes on the road, at Raptors 905 (Toronto Raptors affiliate), on April 2.