Record Crowd Sees Charge Defeat Lakers

CLEVELAND, OH – The Cleveland Charge (1-0) opened the regular season portion of the 2024-25 NBA G League schedule with a 125-113 victory over the South Bay Lakers (0-1) on Friday night.  The 5,153 fans who came out to Public Hall to see the win marked the largest-ever crowd in Cleveland Charge history.

Cleveland was led by Emoni Bates scoring a game-high 30 points on 7-of-11 three-point shooting with five rebounds and two steals in 34 minutes.  On assignment from the Cavs, Craig Porter Jr. scored 28 points on 12-of-15 from the field with 10 assists and five steals in 33 minutes.  J.T. Thor added 18 points, nine boards and a pair of blocks in 32 minutes.

Feron Hunt added a double-double of his own for the Charge, scoring 16 points on 8-of-12 from the floor with 10 rebounds in 36 minutes.  Nae’Qwan Tomlin came off the bench to add 12 points in 17 minutes. 

South Bay was paced by Jordan Goodwin and Sir’Jabari Rice each scoring 19 points.  Bronny James posted a stat line of 15 points, seven rebounds, six assists and four steals in 33 minutes on assignment from the L.A. Lakers.  Devonte’ Graham added 18 points and five assists in 32 minutes.

The two teams will meet again tomorrow, December 28 at 7:00 p.m., where the Charge will travel back to 1994 for the 90’s Cavs Night with the first 1,500 fans receiving a Sherpa Bucket Hat. Players will take the court in the throwback orange and blue jerseys, which will be auctioned to benefit the Cavaliers Community Foundation. The uniforms pay tribute to the Cavaliers in the 1994-95 season, their first at Gund Arena, and 30 years of Cavs basketball at what is now known as Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse!  CHECK OUT CHARGE TICKET DEALS & PROMOTIONS HERE!

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ABOUT CLEVELAND CHARGE

The Cleveland Charge are the NBA G League affiliate of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Founded in 2011 as the Canton Charge, the team is part of Rock Entertainment Group, the umbrella entity of sports and entertainment properties under the Dan Gilbert ROCK Family of Companies. Beginning in the 2024-2025 season, the Cleveland Charge began playing home games at the historic Public Hall in downtown Cleveland. Charge games are also broadcasted on Rock Entertainment Sports Network (channel 979 on Spectrum and over-the-air on channel 22.1), a joint venture between Rock Entertainment Group and Gray Media.

The organization is led by the President of Franchise Properties Mike Ostrowski, Chief Operating Officer Rocco Maragas, General Manager Liron Fanan and Head Coach Chris Darnell.

For more information about the Cleveland Charge, including game schedules, tickets, and community programs, visit ClevelandCharge.com or follow @ChargeCLE on X, Instagram and Facebook. #ChargeUp