In the inaugural NBA G League Next Gem Game, at the Wolstein Center on Sunday, Feb. 20, the Cleveland Charge came out on top 96-92 against the Ignite in a hard-fought matchup.
The competition, designed to pay tribute to the NBA's 75th anniversary season by highlighting the development league's top next-generation talent on the Ignite and the Charge, was played earlier at 2 p.m ET on the day of the 71st NBA All-Star Game.
The Charge's Malik Newman was the star of the game with his high-scoring tally of 30 points, including six 3-pointers.
Newman is a four-year G Leauge veteran, who has played for over three G League teams, since going undrafted in the 2018 NBA Draft. He is also one of two players on the Charge, along with Tre Scott, to receive call-ups to the Cleveland Cavaliers this season.
For the Ignite, who led 52-48 at halftime, five players scored in double figures led by Jaden Hardy's 20 points.
Hardy, ranked No. 2, is one of two ESPN Top 10 recruits from the Ignite's class of 2021.
Aussie Dyson Daniels, among the top international stars on the Ignite, stuffed the stat sheet with 18 points,13 rebounds, six assists and two steals.
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Other key contributors included Scoot Henderson (13 points) - a 2023 NBA Draft prospect, Kevin Murphy (13) and MarJon Beauchamp (12).
In fact, the Ignite even led this game 92-90 with just 2:31 to go. However, the Charge went on a 6-0 run which included outrebounding the Ignite 6-2 on the board (4-0 on the offensive glass) to flip the game late.
