Pacers forward Glenn Robinson III joined the team's G League affiliate, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, for a rehab assignment. Robinson has not played this season after undergoing ankle surgery on Oct. 13, but recently returned to practice and is working his way back into game shape.
The rehab assignment allowed Robinson to get game reps against professional competition. The 6-7 swingman logged 27 and 33 minutes in a pair of contests with Fort Wayne. He tallied 12 points on 5-of-12 shooting, two rebounds, four assists, and one steal in a 108-99 loss to the Wisconsin Herd on Thursday, then finished with 10 points on 3-of-12 shooting, five rebounds, and two assists in a 108-91 win over the Long Island Nets on Saturday.
More than anything, Robinson's rehab assignment was about him simply an opportunity for the Pacers to use their G League affiliate to help accelerate Robinson's rehab process. Both Robinson and Pacers head coach Nate McMillan were encouraged by his play in Fort Wayne. The current plan is for Robinson to practice with the Pacers for a couple more weeks and possibly return on Feb. 23 after the All-Star break.
Robinson's rehab assignment drew all the headlines, but overall, it was another strong week for the Mad Ants. After a 1-1 homestand, Fort Wayne is now 20-14 on the season, three games ahead of Wisconsin for first place in the Central Division, despite their loss to the Herd (Milwaukee's affiliate) on Thursday.
Walter Lemon Jr. led six Mad Ants in double figures in that loss, finishing with 22 points and eight rebounds. Pacers two-way forward Ben Moore added 17 points off the bench on 7-of-9 shooting. Pacers rookie center Ike Anigbogu, assigned to Fort Wayne along with Robinson, tallied 10 points on 5-of-10 shooting, seven rebounds, and three blocks.
Lemon was again the star in Saturday's win over Long Island (Brooklyn's affiliate), scoring a game-high 26 points to go along with seven rebounds, five assists, and two steals. Jarrod Uthoff added 22 points, nine boards, and four assists, while Anigbogu finished with six points on 3-of-4 shooting, four rebounds, and one block.
As of Tuesday, Lemon ranked sixth in the G League in scoring (22.2 points per game), 15th in assists (6.1 per contest), and tied for fifth in steals (5.1 per game).
The Mad Ants have two more games before the All-Star break, both on the road. They play at the Greensboro Swarm (Charlotte's affiliate) on Wednesday at 7:00 PM ET, then visit the Maine Red Claws (Boston's affiliate) on Saturday at 7:00 PM ET.
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.