Greensboro Swarm Claims Eastern Conference Championship, Defeats Osceola Magic

KISSIMMEE, Fla. – The Greensboro Swarm, the NBA G League affiliate of the Charlotte Hornets, were crowned Eastern Conference Champions on Sunday at Silver Spurs Arena, defeating the Osceola Magic, 134-121.

The No. 2-seeded Swarm moved through the Eastern Conference, having trailed less than a minute of the NBA G League Playoffs presented by Google, defeating the No. 1-seeded Magic wire-to-wire. Greensboro will face the winner of the South Bay Lakers (1) and Stockton Kings (3), who play Sunday at 9 p.m. ET, in the NBA G League Finals presented by Google. A best two-out-of-three setting, the Finals will begin on April 8, with Game 2 and an if-necessary Game 3 being played on April 10 and 13, respectively.

Greensboro would host Game 1 and Game 3, if necessary, should Stockton win and would play Game 2 of the Finals in Greensboro if South Bay claims the Western Conference Title. Home tickets for the NBA G League Finals presented by Google are available here.

The Swarm led as large as 19 points during play and battled back a host of Magic comeback attempts, including a stretch that saw it lead as little as four in the fourth quarter. Terrell Brown Jr. came off the bench to post 24 points and six assists on 8-of-14 shooting, with Liam McNeeley logging 20 points, six rebounds and five assists. Greensboro caught rhythm at the line, logging a 17-of-20 clip while sourcing six double-digit scorers.

Lester Quinones recorded 40 points on Sunday, converting 16 field goals, seven of which from 3-point range. Alex Morales pitched in 29 points, controlling much of Osceola’s play to begin the second half, while Colin Castleton placed 23 points and 18 rebounds.

Greensboro capitalized on a sloppy start that featured three turnovers by each team in the first three minutes, converting those miscues into transition offense. The Swarm set the tone early, scoring 12 points in the paint during a 17-8 opening run, but saw Osceola respond with seven straight points to trim the deficit to two.

The Swarm’s second unit provided a spark late in the quarter, as center Josiah Allick blocked a Collin Castleton dunk at the rim before knocking down a right-wing three on the other end. Allick and company fueled a 10-3 run to close the period, giving Greensboro a 36-26 lead after one.

Greensboro forced 10 Osceola turnovers in the frame, offsetting four Magic three-pointers with an 11-2 advantage at the free throw line.

Jaylen Sims reached double figures early in the second quarter, scoring back-to-back baskets to push the Swarm’s lead to 15 just two minutes into the period. Greensboro extended its advantage to as many as 19 in the quarter, while Osceola found late first-half production through Castleton, who recorded a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double by the break. The Magic, however, were unable to cut the deficit to single digits, as the Swarm took a 73-59 lead into halftime.

Greensboro placed four players in double figures in the first half, led by 15 points from Sims and 10 apiece from Marcus Garrett, Liam McNeeley and Tidjane Salaun. The Swarm shot 23-of-50 (46%) from the field and converted 21 free throws, continuing to capitalize at the line.

Osceola was paced by Castleton’s double-double, along with 18 points from Alex Morales and 16 from Lester Quinones. The Magic battled foul trouble throughout the half, with Philip Wheeler picking up four fouls midway through the second quarter and Reece Beekman adding three before halftime.

The Magic initiated its offense through Alex Morales to start the second half, finding early successes. Morales played bully ball in the paint to net eight of the Magic’s first 15 points, cutting the Swarm’s lead to 10. Greensboro bounced back from the stretch with timely 1-on-1 buckets from Terrell Brown Jr. and fended off 12 third-quarter points from Lester Quinones to take a 105-94 lead into the fourth.

The Magic cut the game to single digits in the opening second of the period, with Quinones burying his seventh 3-pointer of the game, and continued to stay within arm's reach. Osceola cut the lead as slim as four points with 6:31 remaining in the game; however, a Brown Jr. jump shot and a pair of Josiah Allick tip shots moved the lead back to 10 and wiped away the scare.

Next up, the Greensboro Swarm will search for its first NBA G League Championship as it awaits its opponent. Additional details, including game times and TV coverage, will be announced when finalized.