Two players with recent Indiana Pacers ties, Gabe York and Trevelin Queen, suited up in the NBA G League Next Up Game on Sunday at NBA All-Star Weekend.
The Next Up Game is as close to a G League All-Star game as their is. The duel features some of the top talent in the G League, which was selected by both the G League itself and by a fan vote. Two of the players that were honored in the game have played for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants this season — Trevelin Queen and Gabe York.
Queen is on a two-way contract with the Pacers, so he splits time between the Mad Ants and the NBA club. He recently chatted with AllPacers for a one-on-one interview. The 2022 G League MVP is averaging 23.3 points per game for Fort Wayne this season and 3.0 points per game in the NBA.
York, meanwhile, has spent his entire season with the Mad Ants, though he appeared in two games for Indiana in April of 2022. York is averaging 23.5 points per game in 34 G League appearances this season, and he has won G League player of the week three times this year.
To determine the teams for the Next Up Game, two captains selected the rosters. A G League Ignite player, Scoot Henderson, was chosen as one captain while the top fan vote getter, Luka Garza, was the other captain. Both players made their picks to form Team Luka and Team Scoot, with both Queen and York ending up on Team Luka.
In the end, Team Luka ended up running away with the game. They were up 14 points at halftime and went on to win 178-162. Both York and Queen contributed to the victory.
"Great opportunity to showcase what I can do," Queen said the day before the game, per the Mad Ants.
York finished with eight points, four rebounds, and one assist while Queen had 19 points, two rebounds, and three assists. Team Luka dominated, and the two Fort Wayne players were a big part of why.
The Mad Ants return to action this Wednesday when they take on the Long Island Nets.
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