Best Games To Watch This Week: Jan. 22

Another Sunday means that there’s yet another full week of G League ahead!

There’s plenty to look forward to over the course of the week. We’ve got a pair of high-powered offenses facing off, a battle of the best in the West so far and other teams looking to establish early playoff positioning. 

Take a look at the games that are set to be must-watches over the coming days.

Maine Celtics v. Fort Wayne Mad Ants (Jan. 24 at 12:30 pm/et on ESPN+)

There will be no shortage of offense in this one, which might be putting it lightly. Both of these squads are currently ranked in the top-four in offensive rating, points per game, three-point makes per game, effective field goal percentage, and true shooting percentage. Despite hitting a rough patch of late, Maine still boasts the number-one offense in the G as the Luka Samanic (23.9 PTS, 8.6 REB) and Mfiondu Kabengele (20.9 PTS, 10.4 REB) frontcourt has produced at a very high level. Meanwhile, Fort Wayne’s third-ranked offense continues to be led by Gabe York, who’s scored 79 total points over his past two outings, as well as NBA vet Justin Anderson (20.9 PTS, 6.7 REB, 6.0 AST). 

Lakeland Magic v. Delaware Blue Coats (Jan. 24 at 7 pm/et on ESPN+)

It’s a battle of two Eastern Conference squads that have continued to work their ways up the standings of late. Lakeland has won seven of their last eight games as they now sit in fourth in the East. Kevon Harris (21.1 PTS, 5.8 REB), Jay Scrubb (20.0 PTS, 5.7 REB) and Zavier Simpson (16.7 PTS, 8.8 AST) continue to be the engines powering the Magic’s now-fifth-ranked offense. On the other hand, Delaware is very much in the hunt for a playoff spot after a somewhat slow start to their regular season. They’ve been riding the bucket-getting prowess of Mac McClung (18.9 PTS, 5.2 AST), who leads the team in scoring and assists per game in his first year as a Blue Coat.

Austin Spurs v. Sioux Falls Skyforce (Jan. 24 at 7:30 pm/et on NBA TV)

Jamaree Bouyea’s Rookie of the Year case grows stronger after seemingly every performance. He’s been Mr. Do-It-All for Sioux Falls, as he’s one of only four eligible players in the league logging at least 20 points, 6 assists and 5 rebounds per game. Paired with D.J. Stewart (23.4 PTS, 4.8 REB) and Mychal Mulder (19.5 PTS, 43.6% 3PT), there’s more than enough offensive juice on this Skyforce team. They’ll be taking on an Austin Spurs collective that’s one of the better rebounding units in the league, ranking fourth in rebounding percentage (52.7%) thanks largely to their big man tandem of Charles Bassey (21.0 PTS, 9.6 REB) and Alize Johnson (16.1 PTS, 11.3 REB).

Memphis Hustle v. Stockton Kings (Jan. 26 at 10 pm/et on ESPN+)

The two best teams in the Western Conference to this point will be squaring off for early-season supremacy. While Kenneth Lofton Jr. (18.4 PTS, 9.3 REB) is still the clear leader of this collective, fellow rookie Jake LaRavia (19.1 PTS, 4.8 REB, 38.9% 3PT) has strung together some strong performances of late. Most recently, he dropped a career-high 34 points to go along with 7 rebounds to help Memphis pick up a win against Santa Cruz. Stockton has also gotten some big-time rookie production of their own in Keon Ellis, who continues to pace the team in scoring (16.9 PTS) while also posting 5.2 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game.