HERD DEFEATED BY KNICKS

Wisconsin Herd, NBA G League affiliate of the Milwaukee Bucks, lost to the Westchester Knicks 114-110.

Milwaukee Bucks assignment player Tyler Smith led the Herd with 23 points off the bench while Henry Ellenson followed with a double-double of 20 points and 11 rebounds. James Akinjo also posted a double-double with 15 points and 10 assists off the bench.

The top scorers for the Westchester Knicks were T.J. Warren with 35 points and Donovan Williams with 31 points.

Westchester secured the first basket of the game, but Ibou Badji and Henry Ellenson responded with two straight baskets to put the Herd on top. Wisconsin took control of the game, pushing ahead to 17-9 at the six minute mark. Westchester cut the distance to three with back-to-back buckets. The Herd closed out the quarter, outscoring the Knicks by two to lead 28-23 at the end of the first quarter.

AJ Johnson opened the second quarter with two consecutive shots beyond the arc. Tyler Smith and Stephen Thompson Jr. teamed up for 11 straight points to give Wisconsin a double-digit advantage. The Herd continued to control the game, grabbing a near 20-point edge after back-to-back baskets from Henry Ellenson. Westchester responded with a crucial 12-3 run to come within nine. Wisconsin held off the Knicks comeback to go advance 62-50 at the end of the second quarter. Tyler Smith propelled the Herd with 18 points in the first half.

The Knicks came out of halftime hot, hitting 11 unanswered points to make it a one-point game early in the third quarter. AJ Johnson laid in an easy basket, but the Knicks converted the next two possessions to take their second lead of the game. Wisconsin quickly took control of the game converting the next 11 points to go up by double-digits. The teams traded baskets until the Knicks pulled away with a 14-8 streak to take the lead. Wisconsin secured the last two baskets of the quarter to go ahead 90-88 at the break.

Westchester scored the first two baskets of the fourth quarter to go up 92-90. Ibou Badji and James Akinjo connected on one basket each, but the Knicks evened the game on the next possession. Henry Ellenson gave the Herd the advantage with consecutive baskets, however the Knicks responded with nine unanswered points to go on top. Terence Davis and Stephen Thompson Jr. responded with five points to make it a two-point game at the three-minute mark. The Knicks outscored the Herd by five to push ahead. James Akinjo and AJ Johnson scored five total points to make it a two-point game with less than a minute remaining. Westchester completed two free throws to hold off the Herd and win 114-110.

The Herd will head to Indiana to play the Mad Ants on Jan. 17 with tip-off set for 5:00 p.m. CST. Fans can watch the game on TV32 and NBAGLeague.com.

--Wisconsin Herd--