Jaden Springer, Mac McClung Dominate G League Finals Game

The Philadelphia 76ers’ G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats, tipped off their championship series on Tuesday night in Delaware. As the Sixers hosted the Boston Celtics in South Philly, the Blue Coats were getting busy in the G League Finals against the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

In Game 1, the Blue Coats relied heavily on the former first-round pick Jaden Springer. Although Springer’s been a consistent contributor for the Coats this year, considering he’s spent a lot of time on assignment in Delaware, Springer has gone above and beyond for Delaware in the postseason.

Through the first quarter of action on Tuesday, Springer launched 11 shots, knocking down more than half. He led his team by scoring 16 of their 41 first-quarter points. Former Sixers two-way big man Michael Foster Jr. was behind Springer with ten points in seven minutes.

The Vipers hit back in the second quarter by outscoring the Blue Coats 36-33. While Rio Grande found moderate success before the half, Delaware’s first-quarter dominance gave them a nice cushion before going into the third quarter.

Once again, Springer outshined the competition to begin the second-half run. Checking in for the entire quarter, Springer knocked down five of his eight shots from the field, scoring 17 points. After a quiet start from Mac McClung, the Slam Dunk Champion produced eight points in nine minutes to help the Blue Coats outscore the Vipers by three before going into the fourth quarter.

Then McClung was key to the Blue Coats closing Game 1 out with a victory. In the final ten minutes, McClung knocked down three of his five shots from the field and went 5-6 from the charity stripe. He scored 13 points in the final quarter, helping the Blue Coats take Game 1 with a dominant 134-120 victory.

McClung finished the night with 35 points, three rebounds, seven assists, and one steal. Meanwhile, Springer was heavily active on the offensive end of the floor, putting up 30 shots. With a highly-efficient shooting night from deep, going five for eight, Springer had his most impressive outing of the season by producing 43 points.

Along with his high-scoring performance, Springer totaled nine rebounds, four assists, two steals, and four blocks. In the best-of-three series, the Blue Coats get a one-game leg up on the Vipers. The Vipers and the Blue Coats will meet for Game 2 on Thursday. Tip-off is set for 8:30 PM ET.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.