Swarm Defeat Go-Go, Advance To Eastern Conference Finals

GREENSBORO, NC – The Greensboro Swarm, the NBA G League affiliate of the Charlotte Hornets, punched its ticket to the NBA G League Eastern Conference Finals on Friday at Novant Health Fieldhouse, defeating the Capital City Go-Go, 118-108.

With the semifinals win, the No. 2-seeded Greensboro Swarm (24-12) will head to Kissimmee, Florida, on Sunday to face the No. 1-seeded Osceola Magic (26-10) in the Eastern Conference Finals. Tip-off for the game is set for 6 p.m. ET, with coverage airing on Prime Video. On the other side, the No. 6-seeded Capital City Go-Go closed its campaign with a 19-17 regular-season record and 26 combined wins across the year.

Greensboro controlled the game for all but a single minute on Friday, building a lead that built to 16, though the box score hardly captures how hard-fought the win was. The Swarm weathered multiple surges from the Go-Go, including a 13-0 fourth-quarter run that trimmed the margin to one possession, and secured the victory without two-way center PJ Hall, who was transferred to Charlotte earlier in the week.

Tidjane Salaun headlined the Swarm’s slew of contributors with 24 points, 11 rebounds and three assists with four made 3-pointers, while NBA assignment Liam McNeeley and two-way forward Tosan Evbuomwan both logged double-doubles with 19 points and 10 rebounds and 19 points and 12 rebounds, respectively. After a first round that saw all five starters reach 10+ points, Greensboro nearly saw the same accolade in rebounds as four starters in Salaun, McNeeley, Evbuomwan, Jonas Aidoo (11 rebounds) stuffed the stat sheet, with guard Marcus Garrett closing with eight boards.

Greensboro won the rebounding battle, 61-41, in the game.

Capital City was led by guard Chris Livingston’s 27-point effort and center Skal Labissiere, who posted 26 points (10-of-20 FG) and eight rebounds. Kadary Richmond also neared a triple-double with 12 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds.

After holding Maine Celtics guard Keon Johnson, the team’s leading scorer in March, to a 3-of-17 showing in the first round, the Swarm silenced guard Alondes Williams to a 4-of-17 shot chart after logging 39 points in the Go-Go’s first-round win. Williams closed the game with 17 points.

Inside efforts controlled the early portions of play as the first 12 field goals of the game, six from both sides, came inside, with neither side converting outside of the paint until the 4:19 mark of the first quarter. Greensboro opened the game on a 6-0 run but never saw it expand, yielding a 30-25 edge through the first quarter. Williams collected two fouls in the closing seconds of the frame.

Play continued to stay inside the arch in the second quarter, with Greensboro leading wire-to-wire to hold a 61-54 edge entering halftime. The Swarm found its footing at the foul line in the second, mounting a 7-0 margin in free-throw points, while securing 10 offensive rebounds, matching the Go-Go’s total in the quarter.

Despite shooting 5-of-20 from distance at halftime, Greensboro sourced a pair of double-digit scorers in Tidjane Salaun (14) and Antonio Reeves (11), while Capital City played through Skal Labissiere, who had 15 points and six rebounds at the midway mark.

Greensboro notched the first double-digit lead of the game three minutes into the second half, carrying the margin to the middle of the period. Trailing 10, the Go-Go rattled a 7-0 run in two minutes to cut the game to one possession and tighten play. Liam McNeeley ignited the arena with two minutes in the quarter, drilling a pair of right-wing 3-point shots to push its lead from five to 11 points – prompting a Go-Go timeout. 

Entering the fourth quarter, the Swarm held a 93-86 lead, stacking it as large as 16, but saw a 13-0 run from the Go-Go zap the game back to one possession with under two minutes to go. In crunch time, the Swarm used inside drives to generate a pair of free trips from McNeeley and Evbuomwan, with the latter yielding a missed second attempt – and a Salaun offensive rebound. The barrage of foul shots, combed with a Leaky Black missed layup, put the game out of reach in the closing moments. 

Next up, the Swarm head to Kissimmee, Florida, on Sunday to face the No. 1-seeded Osceola Magic (26-10) in the Eastern Conference Finals.