Fort Wayne Mad Ants season comes to an end after first round playoff loss
The Indiana Pacers G League affiliate team, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, dropped their first round playoff game against the Capital City Go-Go on Tuesday night, which ended their season. The first three rounds of the G League playoffs are single elimination.
The Mad Ants had some difficult circumstances to deal with in their postseason opener. Pacers two-way contract guard Trevelin Queen, the 2022 G League MVP and one of the team's top scorers all season, was suspended for the game after directing threatening language toward a game official in Fort Wayne's regular season finale. Without him, the team was missing 22.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game.
On top of that absence, NBA veteran and Mad Ants team leader Justin Anderson, who also averaged more than 20 points per game for Fort Wayne this season, was ejected from the game in the second quarter. Between Anderson and Queen, the Mad Ants were without two talented players with Pacers experience.
When Anderson was tossed, the Mad Ants were down 14. But they battled back and cut the lead down to two in the middle of the third quarter after a Gabe York triple, and suddenly it was a game again. Fort Wayne has a deep roster, so they were able to survive without a key duo thanks to its bench. York, Tevin Brown, and David Stockton were playing well.
But once the Mad Ants cut the lead to two, the Go-Go responded. Capital City went on a 16-2 run to break the game open again, and they never looked back.
It was a physical battle, and that style favored the Go-Go. Their interior play was too much for Fort Wayne to handle, and they ended up winning 101-87. The Mad Ants season came to an end.
It was the G League club's first playoff game in a half decade, but they came up short. Without two of their premier talents, they didn't have much of a chance. Pedro Bradshaw stepped up along with Brown and Stockton, but it wasn't enough for the Mad Ants.
"To see these guys gel, come together, get to know each other, and really enjoy playing together, it's been the best part of it," Fort Wayne head coach Tom Hankins said last week of what has made this season special.
The Mad Ants season is now over, and they won't play again until November. They will hope to have another strong regular season.
Fort Wayne's two-way contract players can now be with the Pacers for the remainder of the NBA season. Rookie Kendall Brown is injured, but guard Trevelin Queen could perhaps get some reps at the pro level in Indiana's final six games. Neither player is close to their limit for appearances in the NBA this season, so there should be no restrictions on their opportunities. If the Pacers want to play them, they can.
The Fort Wayne Mad Ants finished the regular season 18-14.
- One-on-one with Fort Wayne Mad Ants guard and former top-10 pick Elfrid Payton. CLICK HERE.
- Jordan Nwora sets Indiana Pacers regular season franchise record for points in one quarter with 25. CLICK HERE.
- Rick Carlisle on the Indiana Pacers stretch run: 'Guys are learning and they are finding out what it's about'. CLICK HERE.
- Cleveland Cavaliers clinch playoff berth, will officially send first-round draft pick to Indiana Pacers. CLICK HERE.
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