Stockton Kings deliver win
Sacramento’s G‑League team, the Stockton Kings, picked up a 101–97 victory — DaQuan Jeffries led the way with 27 points, Jameer Nelson Jr. added 18, and Dexter Dennis finished with 19. That win gives the affiliate some momentum and highlights players who could push for NBA minutes in summer or next season. (x.com)
The Stockton Kings did more than win a playoff game on Sunday night. They knocked off the top seed in the West, beat the South Bay Lakers 101–97 in El Segundo, and pushed themselves back into the NBA G League Finals for a second straight season. DaQuan Jeffries scored 27, Dexter Dennis hit six threes on the way to 19 points, and Jameer Nelson Jr. gave Stockton 18 off the bench in the Western Conference Finals on April 5. The result was not just close. It was a comeback against a team that had home court and the better seed (stockton.gleague.nba.com, espn.com). That matters because Stockton was not supposed to own this side of the bracket. The Kings finished the regular season 23–13, good for the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, while South Bay entered the playoffs as the No. 1 seed. Stockton had to earn its way here through a compressed format that leaves no room for an off night. It beat Iowa 116–104 in the first round, then handled Rip City 107–95 in the semifinals before facing South Bay (stockton.gleague.nba.com, stockton.gleague.nba.com, stockton.gleague.nba.com). The shape of the South Bay game tells you why Stockton is still alive. The Kings trailed by 11 in the third quarter and by nine again in the fourth. South Bay still led 89–80 early in the final period. Then Stockton’s shooting finally bent the game. Dennis buried his fifth and sixth three-pointers to wipe out the gap, Jeffries scored 11 of his 27 in the fourth, and Gabe Levin delivered the play that ended the night: a one-handed putback dunk with 20 seconds left that put Stockton ahead for good (stockton.gleague.nba.com, recordnet.com). That late push also says something about why this affiliate keeps producing useful players. Jeffries is 28 and has already logged NBA minutes with Sacramento, Houston, Memphis, and New York, so his case is less about discovery than readiness. Dennis and Nelson are different. Dennis, a 6-foot-5 wing on a two-way contract with Sacramento, gives the organization the exact kind of low-usage defender and spot-up shooter that every roster needs. Nelson, also on a two-way deal, has spent this season toggling between the G League and the NBA orbit, trying to prove he can organize offense without giving away size on defense (nba.com, nba.com, stockton.gleague.nba.com). Now the story gets bigger than one upset. Stockton is the defending 2024–25 G League champion, and this win gave it another shot at a title, this time against the Greensboro Swarm in a best-of-three finals that begins April 8. Game 2 is already set for April 10 at Adventist Health Arena in Stockton, which means the affiliate is suddenly back in the familiar position of playing deep into April while the parent club watches for who might be next (gleague.nba.com, stockton.gleague.nba.com, stockton.gleague.nba.com).
