2017–18 NBA G League season
Sports season
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The 2017–18 NBA G League season was the 17th season of the NBA G League (formerly the NBA D-League), the minor league for the National Basketball Association (NBA). It was the first season after the league rebranded to become the NBA G League as part of multi-year partnership with Gatorade.[1]
| 2017–18 NBA G League season | |
|---|---|
| League | NBA G League |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Draft | |
| Top draft pick | Eric Stuteville |
| Picked by | Northern Arizona Suns |
| Regular season | |
| Top seed | Austin Spurs Westchester Knicks |
| Season MVP | Lorenzo Brown (Raptors 905) |
| Finals | |
| Champions | Austin Spurs |
| Runners-up | Raptors 905 |
| Finals MVP | Nick Johnson (Austin Spurs) |
The Austin Spurs won the league title, sweeping Raptors 905 in the NBA G League Finals.
League changes
The league expanded to a record 26 teams from 22 teams during the 2016–17 season. There was one relocation (Erie BayHawks to Lakeland, Florida to become the Lakeland Magic) and four expansion teams introduced this season (the Agua Caliente Clippers, a new Erie BayHawks, the Memphis Hustle, and the Wisconsin Herd), each owned and affiliated with an NBA team. The Iowa Energy were purchased by the Minnesota Timberwolves at the end of the previous season and rebranded as the Iowa Wolves. The Miami Heat purchased the controlling interest in the Sioux Falls Skyforce, their affiliate since 2013. The Los Angeles D-Fenders also relocated to a new facility within El Segundo and were rebranded as the South Bay Lakers. The purchases and expansion of these teams by individual NBA teams left just four NBA teams without a developmental affiliate, down from eight the previous season.[2] It also decreased the number of independently owned D-League/G League teams from seven to four. Meanwhile, the NBA also started using two-way contracts for their team rosters, allowing players to be more easily called up or sent down.
The league retained its Eastern and Western Conferences, but realigned each conference into three divisions each. Along with the league expansion, the league also expanded its playoff field from eight teams to twelve. Each of the division winners and three wild cards per conference qualify. The top two seeds in each conference earn a bye over the first round.[3]
The NBA announced a title sponsorship deal with Gatorade prior to the season, under which it has been renamed the NBA G League.[4] The G League also experimented with new broadcast arrangements, including airing 120 games on Eleven Sports,[5] and streaming games on the typically video game-oriented live streaming service Twitch, which included interactive stats, and commentary provided by prominent Twitch personalities.[6][7]
Regular season
Finals standings.[8]
x – qualified for playoffs; y – Division champion; z – Conference champion
Eastern Conference
- Atlantic Division
| Team (affiliate) | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| z – Westchester Knicks (NYK) | 32 | 18 | .640 | 0 | 13–12 | 19–6 |
| x – Raptors 905 (TOR) | 31 | 19 | .620 | 1 | 18–7 | 13–12 |
| Long Island Nets (BKN) | 27 | 23 | .540 | 5 | 14–11 | 13–12 |
| Maine Red Claws (BOS) | 17 | 33 | .340 | 15 | 14–11 | 3–22 |
- Central Division
| Team (affiliate) | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y – Fort Wayne Mad Ants (IND) | 29 | 21 | .580 | 0 | 19–6 | 10–15 |
| x – Grand Rapids Drive (DET) | 29 | 21 | .580 | 0 | 16–9 | 13–12 |
| Windy City Bulls (CHI) | 24 | 26 | .480 | 5 | 13–12 | 11–14 |
| Canton Charge (CLE) | 22 | 28 | .440 | 7 | 9–16 | 13–12 |
| Wisconsin Herd (MIL) | 21 | 29 | .420 | 8 | 8–17 | 13–12 |
- Southeast Division
| Team (affiliate) | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y – Erie BayHawks (ATL) | 28 | 22 | .560 | 0 | 15–10 | 13–12 |
| x – Lakeland Magic (ORL) | 28 | 22 | .560 | 0 | 15–10 | 13–12 |
| Greensboro Swarm (CHA) | 16 | 34 | .320 | 12 | 9–16 | 7–18 |
| Delaware 87ers (PHI) | 16 | 34 | .320 | 12 | 6–19 | 10–15 |
Western Conference
- Midwest Division
| Team (affiliate) | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y – Oklahoma City Blue (OKC) | 28 | 22 | .560 | 0 | 15–10 | 13–12 |
| Sioux Falls Skyforce (MIA) | 25 | 25 | .500 | 3 | 13–12 | 12–13 |
| Iowa Wolves (MIN) | 24 | 26 | .480 | 4 | 14–11 | 10–15 |
| Memphis Hustle (MEM) | 21 | 29 | .420 | 7 | 10–15 | 11–14 |
- Pacific Division
| Team (affiliate) | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y – Reno Bighorns (SAC) | 29 | 21 | .580 | 0 | 14–11 | 15–10 |
| x – South Bay Lakers (LAL) | 28 | 22 | .560 | 1 | 16–9 | 12–13 |
| Santa Cruz Warriors (GSW) | 23 | 27 | .460 | 6 | 13–12 | 10–15 |
| Northern Arizona Suns (PHX) | 23 | 27 | .460 | 6 | 13–12 | 10–15 |
| Agua Caliente Clippers (LAC) | 23 | 27 | .460 | 6 | 14–11 | 9–16 |
- Southwest Division
| Team (affiliate) | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| z – Austin Spurs (SAS) | 32 | 18 | .640 | 0 | 17–8 | 15–10 |
| x – Rio Grande Valley Vipers (HOU) | 29 | 21 | .580 | 3 | 14–11 | 15–10 |
| x – Texas Legends (DAL) | 29 | 21 | .580 | 3 | 16–9 | 13–12 |
| Salt Lake City Stars (UTA) | 16 | 34 | .320 | 16 | 11–14 | 5–20 |
Playoffs
For the fourth time ever and first time since the 2014 playoffs, a team went undefeated in postseason play to win the championship.[9] The Austin Spurs won the G League Finals over Raptors 905 by scores of 105-93 and 98–76 to win the title.[10][11]
| First Round (March 30 & March 31) | Conference Semifinal (April 2 & April 3) | Conference Final (April 5 & April 6) | Finals (April 8 & April 10) Best-of-three | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Westchester Knicks | 80 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Raptors 905 | 92 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Raptors 905 | 92 | |||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Grand Rapids Drive | 88 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Raptors 905 | 118 | |||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Erie BayHawks | 106 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Fort Wayne Mad Ants | 116 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Erie BayHawks | 119 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Erie BayHawks | 96 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Lakeland Magic | 90 | |||||||||||||||||
| E4 | Raptors 905 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| W1 | Austin Spurs | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Austin Spurs | 117 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Rio Grande Valley Vipers | 91 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Rio Grande Valley Vipers | 107 | |||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Texas Legends | 100 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Austin Spurs | 104 | |||||||||||||||||
| Western Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | South Bay Lakers | 93 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Reno Bighorns | 109 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | South Bay Lakers | 126 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Oklahoma City Blue | 105 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | South Bay Lakers | 125 | |||||||||||||||||
Finals boxscore
| Raptors 905 93, Austin Spurs 105 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–30, 26–24, 27–27, 17–24 | ||
| Pts: Lorenzo Brown 20 Rebs: Kennedy Meeks 9 Asts: Lorenzo Brown 10 |
Pts: Derrick White 35 Rebs: Jaron Blossomgame 11 Asts: Darrun Hilliard 4 | |
H-E-B Center at Cedar Park, Cedar Park, Texas Attendance: 4,321 Referees:
|
| Austin Spurs 98, Raptors 905 76 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–18, 18–20, 27–24, 25–14 | ||
| Pts: Nick Johnson 17 Rebs: Jaron Blossomgame 10 Asts: Olivier Hanlan 7 |
Pts: Malcolm Miller, Kaza Kajami-Keane 12 Rebs: Alfonzo McKinnie, Kennedy Meeks 9 Asts: Lorenzo Brown 10 | |
| Austin wins series, 2–0 | ||
Hershey Centre, Mississauga, Ontario Attendance: 3,262 Referees:
|
Statistics
Individual statistic leaders
| Category | Player | Team | Statistic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points per game | Antonio Blakeney | Windy City Bulls | 32.0 |
| Rebounds per game | Amile Jefferson | Iowa Wolves | 12.9 |
| Assists per game | Josh Magette | Erie BayHawks | 10.2 |
| Steals per game | Josh Gray | Northern Arizona Suns | 2.4 |
| Blocks per game | Amida Brimah | Austin Spurs | 2.6 |
| Turnovers per game | Daniel Hamilton | Oklahoma City Blue | 5.0 |
| Fouls per game | Isaiah Hicks | Westchester Knicks | 3.9 |
| Minutes per game | Ryan Arcidiacono | Windy City Bulls | 39.5 |
| FG% | Damian Jones | Santa Cruz Warriors | 67.8% |
| FT% | Quinn Cook | Santa Cruz Warriors | 94.9% |
| 3FG% | Andre Ingram | South Bay Lakers | 46.7% |
| Double-doubles | Amile Jefferson | Iowa Wolves | 35 |
| Triple-doubles | Daniel Hamilton | Oklahoma City Blue | 9 |
Individual game highs
| Category | Player | Team | Statistic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points | Trey Davis | Maine Red Claws | 57 |
| Rebounds | Devin Williams | Maine Red Claws | 23 |
| Assists | Josh Magette | Erie BayHawks | 19 |
| Steals | Tra-Deon Hollins | Fort Wayne Mad Ants | 10 |
| Blocks | Jimmie Taylor | Sioux Falls Skyforce | 11 |
| Three-pointers | Milton Doyle | Long Island Nets | 11 |
Team statistic leaders
| Category | Team | Statistic |
|---|---|---|
| Points per game | Rio Grande Valley Vipers | 120.5 |
| Rebounds per game | South Bay Lakers | 47.0 |
| Assists per game | Rio Grande Valley Vipers | 26.3 |
| Steals per game | Rio Grande Valley Vipers | 10.6 |
| Blocks per game | Austin Spurs | 6.6 |
| Turnovers per game | Rio Grande Valley Vipers | 18.5 |
| FG% | Santa Cruz Warriors | 50.2% |
| FT% | Austin Spurs | 79.8% |
| 3FG% | Memphis Hustle | 39.4% |
| +/− | Raptors 905 | +5.0 |
Player death
On March 24, 2018, Grand Rapids Drive player Zeke Upshaw collapsed on-court during the final minute of the team's regular season finale. Two days later, Upshaw died at the age of 26. Autopsy reports indicated that Upshaw had died from a sudden cardiac arrest.[12][13] The start of the NBA G League playoffs were delayed out of respect for Upshaw's death, and the NBA's Detroit Pistons gave Upshaw an honorary call-up to their roster.[14]