NBA G League: Santa Cruz Warriors to open 2024-25 season with pair of home games

SANTA CRUZ — The Santa Cruz Warriors, the NBA G League affiliate of the Golden State Warriors, have announced their Tip-Off Tournament and regular season schedule for the upcoming 2024-25 season.

The Warriors will open the Tip-Off Tournament with back-to-back home games against the Valley Suns, the Phoenix Suns’ brand-new NBA G League affiliate, on Nov. 8-9.

Santa Cruz posted an 11-5 record in the Showcase Cup last season and reached the tournament semifinals under first-year head coach Nick Kerr. The Warriors went 20-14 during the regular season for fourth place in the Western Conference and a spot in the playoffs. They went on to reach the conference semifinals.

The Oklahoma City Blue beat the Maine Celtics 2-1 in their best-of-three series to win the G League title.

Following the season, Santa Cruz was named the G League Franchise of the Year for the fourth time in the past seven years.

“I am looking forward to an even more exciting 2024-25 season and continuing the sellout streak starting with the first home game on November 8 against the Suns,” said David Kao, the Santa Cruz Warriors’ chief operating officer, in a release.

Golden State has three players signed to Two-Way contracts. All three — guards Pat Spencer, Reece Beekman, and Daeqwon Plowden — will see action with Santa Cruz this season.

All NBA G League teams begin the 2024-25 season with the Tip-Off Tournament, which includes 14 games in team markets, followed by two Winter Showcase games to crown the Tip-Off Tournament champion. The Santa Cruz Warriors will compete in the Western Tip-Off Tournament pod which includes the Rip City Remix, Salt Lake City Stars, San Diego Clippers, South Bay Lakers, Stockton Kings, and Valley Suns. Team records will reset for the 34-game regular season, which begins on Dec. 27, followed by the NBA G League playoffs in April.

The Warriors are slated for a month-long 10-game homestand from Feb. 7 to March 9. The 10-game streak includes three sets of Friday-Saturday back-to-back games and will be capped off on March 9 by the annual Chase Center game with the Warriors taking on the Mexico City Capitanes.

Santa Cruz has a pair of seven-game road trips during the regular season, one to start the season from Dec. 27 to Jan. 13 and another immediately following the team’s 10-game homestand from March 12-25.