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.When: 10 p.m. today
Where: Bakersfield, Calif.
Records: Mad Ants 11-10, Bakersfield 13-7
Web:
Mad Ants leaders: Ron Howard (19.2 ppg), Luke Harangody (14.3 rpg), Howard (4.8 apg)
Bakersfield leaders: Jerel McNeal (14.3 ppg), Brian Butch (7.5 rpg), McNeal (7.4 apg)
Key matchup: McNeal, the Jam’s 6-foot-3 guard out of Marquette, is to Bakersfield what Howard is to the Ants in leading his team in scoring and assists. Bakersfield has power in the middle in Butch, the 6-11 former Wisconsin center. Butch also has outside shooting range, which the Ants must respect.
The skinny: The hottest team in the D-League continued to stay hot when the Ants beat Los Angeles 104-102 on Wednesday. It was the eighth consecutive win for the Ants, who climbed over the .500 mark for the first time this season. The Ants lost their first two games, won their next two, then went into a five-game tailspin.
