By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
French forward Ousmane Dieng earned Finals MVP honors following a brilliant showing in Game 3 of a best-of-three series for the G League championship on Monday.
After setting the pace with 13 points in the first quarter, he piled up a game-high 25 points, paving the way for the Oklahoma City Blue in a 117-110 victory versus the Maine Celtics in Portland. Besides 9/14 field goals, including 5/6 from beyond the arc, he registered six rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
Dieng, 20, was selected with the 11th pick of the 2022 NBA draft and landed by the Oklahoma City Thunder. Over the last two years, the Villeneuve-sur-Lot native logged 72 appearances in the NBA and 59 with the Thunder’s affiliate in the G League, including 32 appearances in the 2023-24 season.
French teammate Olivier Sarr posted a ten-point, 13-rebound double-double to go with two assists, two steals, and one block in the championship-clinching effort. Combining three seasons between the Thunder and Blue since going undrafted in 2021, the 25-year-old center has made his way to 46 NBA games and 53 G League games.
On the wrong end of Game 3, Portuguese Neemias Queta went for eight points, seven rebounds, and five assists. The 39th pick of the 2021 draft, he completed a move from the Sacramento Kings to the Boston Celtics in September. Besides 75 appearances in the G League, he is up to 48 games played in the NBA, including 28 with the C’s.