For the first time in their six-year history as a member of the NBA Development League, the Mad Ants not only had a winning regular season record (27-23), but also qualified for the playoffs as the No. 6 seed.FORT WAYNE – When: vs. Rio Grande Valley, 1 p.m. today; vs. Tulsa, 1 p.m. Thursday
Where: Reno, Nev.
Records: Mad Ants 7-10; Rio Grande Valley 8-7; Tulsa 8-7
TV: NBA TV
Web cast:
Mad Ants leaders: Ron Howard (20.7 points), Luke Harangody (13.0 rebounds), Howard (4.4 assists)
Rio Grande Valley leaders: Andrew Goudelock (20.9 points), Terrence Jones (13.4 rebounds), Goudelock (3.6 assists)
Tulsa leaders: Jeremy Lamb (20.6 points), Daniel Orton (7.5 rebounds), Tony Taylor (3.3 assists)
Key matchups: Rio Grande Valley has one of the top NBA prospects in the 6-foot-3 Goudelock, who shoots as well as he passes. The Vipers defeated Los Angeles 127-104 Monday in the Showcase. Tulsa, which came into the Showcase on a four-game losing streak, is led by Jeremy Lamb. The 6-5 former UConn standout has played 13 games with Oklahoma City of the NBA this season. He averaged just 3.8 minutes and 1.9 points with OKC.
The skinny: The Mad Ants join Canton as the two hottest teams in the league, as both took four-game winning streaks into Reno. Harangody did not play in the Ants’ most recent win over Santa Cruz due to a sore knee but is expected to play in both Showcase games. A victory over Rio Grande Valley would give the Ants a franchise-best five-game winning streak. Indiana Pacers assignee Miles Plumlee is not expected to participate in the Showcase, as he returned to Indianapolis following the Ants’ victory over Santa Cruz on Saturday. Tony Mitchell was named Performer of the Week for Dec. 31-Jan 6. The 6-6 forward led the Mad Ants to back-to-back wins over Santa Cruz, averaging 21.5 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 2.5 steals.
