Santa Cruz Warriors: Damian Jones drops 22pts, 16reb vs. Legends
The Santa Cruz Warriors defeated the Texas Legends 128-115 at Dr. Pepper Arena on Tuesday.
The Santa Cruz Warriors, G League affiliate of the Golden State Warriors, won their second road game of the season on Tuesday, beating the Texas Legends 128-115 at Dr. Pepper Arena. The Sea Dubs currently stand as the second-best team in the NBA G League’s Western Conference after improving their regular season record to 6-3.
Santa Cruz will head home to Kaiser Permanente Arena on Friday for a post-Thanksgiving matchup with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. Following that game, they’ll hit the road again for 3-game road trip that will feature the Reno Bighorns, Oklahoma City Blue and Sioux Falls Skyforce.
Quinn Cook returned to action on Tuesday against Texas, leading the Sea dubs in scoring with 24 points, four rebounds, nine assists, one steal and one block. He shot 10-of-17 from the field, 3-of-4 from behind the arc and 1-of-1 from the free throw line. He was also a game-high +24 in 35 minutes.
Cook has only continued to validate Golden State’s decision to sign him to a two-way contract, averaging 26.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, 8.4 assists and 1.4 steals on 53.2 percent shooting from the field and 43.9 percent shooting from behind the arc.
Damian Jones was an absolute monster in the paint, posting 22 points and a career-high 16 rebounds. He added three assists and one block in 34 minutes while shooting 10-of-11 from the field and 2-of-2 from the charity stripe.
Jones hasn’t proven to be the best rebounder for a 7-foot center, averaging 7.2 rebounds last season for Santa Cruz and 7.7 this season. With his 16-rebound performance tonight, fans should continue to expect him to dominate the glass from this point forward.
Georges Niang had 20 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals in 33 minutes, shooting 7-of-12 from the field, 3-of-6 from long range and 3-of-4 from the free throw line. Cleanthony Early was the only other starter to score in double-digits, notching a double-double with 16 points, 11 rebounds, one steal and one block.
Next: Damian Jones scores 29 vs. Iowa Wolves
Like Cook, Alex Hamilton made his return to the hardwood on Tuesday, tallying 19 points, four rebounds, five assists and two steals in 27 minutes off the bench. He shot an impressive 8-of-10 from the field and 1-of-1 from behind the arc.
Damion Lee was also great in the second unit once again, finishing with 13 points, four rebounds, four assists and four steals.