The Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the Pacers' G League affiliate, split a pair of road games last week, falling in Greensboro on Wednesday before bouncing back with a win in Maine on Saturday. The Mad Ants head into the All-Star break with a 21-15 record and have a two-game lead over the Grand Rapids Drive (Detroit's affiliate) for first place in the Central Division.
Fort Wayne's week began in Greensboro with a matchup against the Swarm (Charlotte's affiliate), who recently signed former Pacers forward Damien Wilkins. The 38-year-old, who made the team out of training camp but was waived on Jan. 7, got a small measure of revenge against the Mad Ants, going for 20 points, eight rebounds, and six assists in leading Greensboro to a 118-102 win.
DeQuan Jones — a Pacers training camp participant — led Fort Wayne with 29 points in the loss, going 12-for-18 from the field and 3-for-5 from 3-point range. Walter Lemon Jr. added 24 points, six rebounds, and five assists.
Pacers rookie center Ike Anigbogu started and logged 18 minutes, finishing with eight points on 3-of-5 shooting and seven rebounds. Two-way guard Edmond Sumner scored 10 points in 20 minutes off the bench.
The Mad Ants bounced back in a big way on Saturday in Maine against the Red Claws (Boston's affiliate). After falling behind 32-16 after one quarter, Fort Wayne scored 106 points over the final three quarters en route to a 122-103 win.
Lemon was sensational, racking up a career-best 40 points while going 16-for-31 from the field, 2-for-3 from 3-point range, and 6-for-7 from the free throw line. The veteran point guard also tallied five rebounds, three assists, and two steals in the victory.
Jones also had a stellar game, finishing with 27 points and eight rebounds, while Jarrod Uthoff added 18 points and five boards.
Anigbogu finished with nine points on 4-of-6 shooting, four rebounds, and two blocks in 18 minutes. Sumner amassed four points, two rebounds, one assist, and four steals in 20 minutes off the bench.
The Mad Ants will have representation in Los Angeles this weekend for NBA All-Star festivities. Guard Trey McKinney-Jones was selected to play on NBA G League USA against the Mexican National Team in the G League International Challenge on Sunday, Feb. 18 at 4:30 PM ET. Jones will also be there to take part in the G League Slam Dunk Contest, with the first round taking place at 3:30 PM ET and the finals taking place at halftime of the International Challenge.
Heading into the break, Lemon ranks fifth in the G League in scoring at 22.7 points per game. He is also tied for fourth in steals at 2.1 per contest and 16th in assists at 5.9 per game.
The Mad Ants return to action on Wednesday, Feb. 21 at the Wisconsin Herd (Milwaukee's affiliate).
Stay tuned to Pacers.com for continued updates on the Mad Ants, and make sure to check out Pacers.com/MadAntsTV » to watch Mad Ants games free online.