FAYETTEVILLE — Former Arkansas basketball guard Mason Jones was named the NBA G League Finals MVP after his Stockton Kings defeated the Osceola Magic 118-110 in the final game of the championship series.
Jones scored 19 points and had 13 asists in the decisive game. His 13 assists were the second most recorded in a G League Finals game.
Jones, who has a two-way contract with the Sacramento Kings, injured his ankle in the fourth quarter when the Kings trailed by 1 point.
“That’s what we’ve been all year: We’ve been a team,” Jones said when accepting the award. “We’ve been together. On the court, off the court, we’ve always been a team. And that’s how you win championships.
Stockton was the Western Conference No. 1 seed and earned a first-round bye. The Kings defeated the Valley Suns and Austin Spurs on their way to the championship series.
The Magic were the Eastern Conference No. 1 seed and defeated the Indiana Mad Ants and Maine Celtics on their way to the final series.
Both teams finished the regular season 22-12.
Osceola won Game 1 by a score 129-128 before Stockton won 144-126 in Game 2.
The Magic controlled most of the game, leading 82-73 entering the fourth quarter, but the Kings outscored the Magic 45-28 in the final stanza to claim the title.
“It was very difficult,” Jones said. “Our team’s been resilient all year and we knew we [were] ready for the battle….I’m just proud, and it’s all the hard work that goes to the team.”
Jones averaged 17.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game during his 2-year stint with Arkansas. He was named 2019-20 Associated Press co-SEC player of the year with Mississippi State’s Reggie Perry.
