Home|Sports|Jones shines in the G-LeagueSports
Bahamian averaging 28.5 points and 11 rebounds in two games
Simba FrenchSend an emailJanuary 9, 2023 182 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email
Playing in his second game this season on National Basketball Association (NBA) G-League assignment, Bahamian professional basketball player Kai Jones didn’t disappoint his team and fans as he had a monster night. He dropped 27 points and flirted with a double-double as he added nine rebounds to help the Greensboro Swarm to a 118-113 victory over the Delaware Blue Coats on Friday night at the Chase Fieldhouse in Wilmington, Delaware.
Jones went 12-for-15 from the field, shooting 80 percent. He made his only shot attempt from deep and hit both of his attempts from the charity stripe. Jones also had two assists. The center was not only an energizer on offense but also on defense where he came away with four of his team’s five swipes and blocked half of his team’s eight shots that night.
Jones was everywhere. He scored eight points in the first quarter alone. His final field goal of the first quarter, at the 5:20 mark, put them up 20-12. On that play, he grabbed a defensive rebound and went coast to coast, maneuvering his way in the paint for a slam dunk. The quarter ended with the Swarm up 27-25.
Jones showed more of his athleticism in the second quarter. The 6’10” player stole the ball at the 10:24 mark, sprinted up the court and threw down a reverse slam dunk to put his team up by double digits, 37-27. By the end of the first half, the center had 17 points, most with dunks and some on jump shots. He also had two blocks and five rebounds before he was subbed out of the first half with 4:45 left in the second quarter.
The Swarm went into the intermission up 61-56 as the Blue Coats hung around.
Both teams battled fiercely in a back and forth third quarter. In the end, it was the Blue Coats outscored the Swarm in that quarter, 32-29, but Jones’ and company held on to a slim 90-88 lead going into the fourth.
Jones made two free throws late in the game to put the Swarm up 114-109. That came with 1:27 left in the game. He got his fourth block of the game with 25 seconds remaining, helping his team hold on for the win.
The Swam finished the game shooting 50 percent and they were able to hold the Blue Coats to 40 percent shooting from the field. The Swarm had 14 three-pointers while the Blue Coats finished with seven three-pointers.
The game had two lead changes and one tie.
This was Jones’ second game of the season for the Swarm. In the two games, the 21-year-old is averaging a double-double with 28.5 points and 11 rebounds per game. The 2021 first round draft pick is averaging 3.5 steals and three blocks in those two games. He is shooting 77.4 percent from the field.
Despite his success at that level, Jones is looking forward to returning to the big league to help the Hornets.