After a three-week stint with the Pacers, rookie forward Alize Johnson rejoined the team's G League affiliate, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, last week. With Johnson leading the way, the Mad Ants have won two of their past three games, highlighted by their best offensive performance of the season in their most recent victory.
Johnson, a 6-9 forward out of Missouri State, averaged 22.0 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 4.0 assists over those three games while shooting 54.7 percent from the field.
He racked up 31 points on 14-of-22 shooting, 14 rebounds, and six assists in a 117-112 win over Raptors 905 (Toronto's affiliate) last Friday.
Omari Johnson — who took part in training camp with the Pacers — added 24 points and seven rebounds, while Stephan Hicks — fresh off a 10-day contract with the Pacers — recorded a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Rookie Rob Gray chipped in 21 points off the bench.
The Mad Ants fell the next evening on the second night of a back-to-back, dropping a 117-95 decision at the Grand Rapids Drive (Detroit's affiliate). Hicks and Gray led the Mad Ants with 15 points apiece in the loss.
Alize Johnson finished with 12 points and seven rebounds, but was just 4-for-14 from the field. Second-year Pacers center Ike Anigbogu, meanwhile, finished with 11 points, 11 rebounds, and two blocks.
Fort Wayne got back in the win column on Monday afternoon, rolling to an impressive 140-119 win at the Long Island Nets (Brooklyn's affiliate) in a rare matinee game. The Mad Ants shot 61 percent from the field and 59 percent from 3-point range in the victory as seven different players scored in double figures.
Gray had a team-high 25 points, while Alize Johnson stuffed the stat sheet with 23 points (on 11-of-17 shooting), 10 rebounds, five assists, and two steals.
Point guard Tra-Deon Hollins also had a double-double, finishing with 19 points, 10 assists, and three steals. Hicks added 18 points, six rebounds, and four assists, while Anigbogu chipped in 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting and three boards.
The Mad Ants are 17-15 on the year, which — as of Wednesday morning — puts them percentage points ahead of the Windy City Bulls (Chicago's affiliate) for first place in the Central Division.
Several Mad Ants players rank among the G League leaders. Two-way guard Edmond Sumner (currently in the rotation for the Pacers) is seventh in scoring at 239 points per game. Alize Johnson is third in rebounding (13.3 per contest) and tied for 22nd in scoring average (19.7). Hollins is second in assists (8.5 per game) and third in steals (2.6 per contest).
The Mad Ants finish the week with a three-game homestand. They host the Capital City Go-Go (Washington's affiliate) on Thursday morning at 11:00 AM ET, welcome the Bulls to Allen County War Memorial Coliseum on Friday night at 7:00 PM, then host the Agua Caliente Clippers (yes, the Clippers' affiliate) on Sunday at 5:00 PM.
Stay tuned to Pacers.com for continued updates on the Mad Ants, and make sure to check out Pacers.com/MadAntsTV » to watch select Mad Ants games for free online.