South Bay Lakers Dethrone the Kings, Win Fourth Straight

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – The South Bay Lakers (16-7), the G League affiliate of the Los Angeles Lakers, secured their fourth straight victory as they took down the Stockton Kings (11-13), 120-110, behind a lively home crowd at the UCLA Health Training Center on Saturday night.

South Bay came out energized from the opening tip, outrebounding Stockton 17-7 in the first 12 minutes of play. Mac McClung and Chaundee Brown Jr. both shot and made two three-pointers apiece early on to help the Lakers jump out to a 35-26 lead after one quarter.

Coming off a 24-point performance Thursday night on 9-12 field-goal shooting, Jay Huff made his first six shots, including three emphatic dunks, for twelve points. South Bay extended their lead to double digits, holding a 64-50 advantage going into the break.

Stockton narrowed the gap to make it a one-possession game with just two minutes left in the third quarter, but South Bay combatted the rally to take an 87-80 lead heading into the final 12 minutes.

The Kings did not go down easy as former NBA Champion with the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2019-20 season Quinn Cook posted nine of his 15 points in the final quarter to keep Stockton in the game. South Bay was able to make some key buckets down the stretch and hold on for the victory, 120-110.

Mac McClung led the way for South Bay with a team-high 26 points to go with nine assists. Los Angeles Lakers two-way guard Mason Jones recorded his eighth double-double of the season, posting 18 points and 10 assists. Jemerrio Jones led the team in rebounding for the sixth time this season coming off the bench as he grabbed 12 boards and added 12 points, Jones’ first double-double since being acquired by South Bay in early February. Starting center Jay Huff had a strong 20-point, eight-rebound performance while Paris Bass tallied 21 points and eight rebounds off the bench.

Big man Emanuel Terry had a solid all-around performance for the Kings, posting a team-high 22 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Sheldon Mac contributed with 20 points off the bench, but it was not enough for Stockton to overcome a fiery South Bay squad on Saturday night.

South Bay will head east next week to take on the Iowa Wolves in the first of a two-game road trip on Wednesday, March 16 at 5:00 P.M. PT at the Wells Fargo Arena.