Osceola Magic, Maine Celtics Meet Sunday Vying for NBA G League Finals Trip

The Orlando Magic and Boston Celtics' G League Affiliates, the Osceola Magic and Maine Celtics, meet Sunday evening in the G League Eastern Conference Final.

Orlando Magic two-way guard Mac McClung attacks the rim during the Osceola Magic's Eastern Conference Semifinal game. | Fernando Medina, Getty Images

KISSIMMEE, Fla. – With a trip to the NBA G League Finals on the line, the Osceola Magic host the Maine Celtics on Sunday evening inside Silver Spurs Arena.

Orlando's affiliate got here by earning the Eastern Conference's top seed, winning 22 of 34 regular season games and defeating the Indiana Mad Ants in the conference semifinal matchup on Thursday evening.

The Magic led wire-to-wire in a 129-114 victory, with Magic two-way guards Mac McClung and Ethan Thompson spearheading the charge. McClung totaled a franchise-playoff record 39 points, and Thompson followed with 29 points on 9-of-11 shooting from the field.

The Mad Ants threatened, shortening a 32-point deficit to 10 with under six minutes to play, but Osceola didn't surrender.

"I think it's big-time," Orlando coach Jamahl Mosley said Saturday. "You talk about the chemistry, the camaraderie that group has built, the togetherness they have as a team. Also, with our group, being able to bound guys back and forth and the opportunity that they're getting in this moment.

"You're proud of Dylan (Murphy, Osceola head coach) and his coaching staff and what they've done, Kevin (Tiller, Osceola general manager) and his group and what they've done with putting guys together. Those guys are playing good basketball right now."

Mosley is right. Murphy won the G League's Coach of the Month award for March after Osceola won 11 of its last 14 games to close the regular season's slate, and McClung was named the G League's Player of the Week for the final week before the postseason.

Most of those late wins came without starting center Colin Castleton, who signed two 10-day contracts with the Toronto Raptors in March before another with the Philadelphia 76ers earlier this month. He will not be available for Osceola on Sunday.

After defeating the Mad Ants on Thursday, the Magic now look to carry that momentum versus the visiting Celtics on Sunday. A one-game conference final will determine the East's representative in the three-game Finals series that looms next week.

Maine is led by the newly crowned G League MVP JD Davison, who averaged 25.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 7.6 assists and 1.5 steals per game. The Celtics went 21-13 and finished third in the Eastern Conference.

Osceola and Maine matched up twice during the regular season, with the Magic winning both games on the road:

• Magic 108, Celtics 105 on Jan. 26
• Magic 140, Celtics 133 on Mar. 20

Sunday evening's game tips off at 7 p.m. ET from Silver Spurs Arena at Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee. The game will air live on ESPNU.

Should Osceola win, the Magic would host Games 1 and 3 of the G League Finals at Silver Spurs Arena.

The NBA G League Finals Schedule is as follows:

• Game 1: Tuesday, April 8, TBD
• Game 2: Friday, April 11, TBD
• Game 3 (if necessary): Monday, April 14 (TBD)

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