Armor’s Thomas signs 10-day contract with NBA’s Orlando Magic

Date: 2/27/2014

SPRINGFIELD – The Orlando Magic announced on Feb. 25 that the team has signed Armor forward Adonis Thomas to a 10-day contract, making the former Memphis Tiger the second GATORADE call-up of the season for Springfield.

Thomas averaged 16.2 points and 4.2 rebounds in 26 games (21 starts) for the Springfield Armor, presented by MGM Springfield.

The Memphis, Tenn., native recently represented the Armor at the 2014 NBA D-League All-Star festivities in New Orleans, La., by competing in the Boost Mobile Three-Point Contest in which he scored 12 points in the first round.

Thomas becomes the eighth player and ninth call-up in the history of the Armor and the NBA Development League’s 24th GATORADE call-up of the season.

The Armor will return home to face the Austin Toros for a two-game set beginning on Feb. 27, presented by Comcast, inside the MassMutual Center before Brooklyn Nets Night, presented by Big Y, on Feb. 28. Both games are set to tip at 7 p.m.

For more information on the Armor, visit www.ArmorHoops.com or call 746-3263 and keep up with the Armor on Facebook and Twitter.

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A three-game West Coast swing finished with a loss Monday night as the Armor saw a halftime edge dwindle away for the first time on the road this season in a 134-128 defeat at the hands of the Los Angeles D-Fenders on Feb. 24.

Springfield’s big men flourished in the first half as the trio of Jeff Foote, Willie Reed and newcomer Devin Ebanks all reached double figure scoring totals before the break. Foote’s team-high 13 first-half points helped the Armor hold a 34-26 edge in the paint, while Reed and Ebanks added 10 each.

The Armor’s lead reached as high as 12, but Los Angeles closed the gap to just four before intermission as Brandon Costner hit all three three-point attempts and went 7-for-7 from the charity stripe for a game-high 18 points off the bench.

After 38 points in the second quarter, the D-Fenders continued on their torrid pace with 39 more points in the third as Los Angeles clawed back from an 11-point deficit in the period to grab a 102-96 lead entering the final frame. Darius Johnson-Odom scored 14 by himself in the stanza, but Springfield faced a six-point hole as the D-Fenders connected on all eight free throws to take advantage of six Armor personal fouls.