HERD DROPS FIRST GAME OF BACK-TO-BACK SERIES AGAINST THE CELTICS

The Wisconsin Herd, NBA G League affiliate of the Milwaukee Bucks, lost to the Maine Celtics 117-108.

Wenyen Gabriel led the way for the Herd with a double-double of 23 points and 12 rebounds while Milwaukee Bucks assignment player Chris Livingston added 18 points. TyTy Washington Jr. posted a double-double of 17 points and 11 assists.

The Maine Celtics’ top scorer was DJ Steward with 25 points followed by Jordan Walsh with 20 points.

The Celtics converted on their first two possessions of the game to jump ahead 4-0. Glenn Robinson III answered to get the Herd on the board, but the Celtics remained hot increasing their lead to six. The teams traded baskets, but the Herd made up ground, knocking down three straight shots from beyond the arc to make it a one-point game. A TyTy Washington Jr. jump shot pushed the Herd over the edge 15-14 midway through the first quarter. Maine responded quickly with 11 unanswered points to go up by nine. The Celtics continued to pull away with an 11-point advantage at the two-minute mark. Wisconsin completed two buckets, but the quarter ended in favor of the Celtics 34-23.

James Akinjo knocked down a jump shot to get the second quarter started for the Herd. Maine scored two points before Elijah Hughes followed with three straight baskets to bring Wisconsin within six. The Celtics got hot again going on an 11-0 run midway through the second quarter. Wenyen Gabriel connected on a layup to stop the Maine run. The Celtics didn’t stop, outscoring the Herd 8-6 to go ahead by 20 points. Wisconsin caught fire at the end of the half 8-4 to make it 69-51 at the break. Wenyen Gabriel and Elijah Hughes guided the Herd with 10 points each.

TyTy Washington Jr. drained a two-point shot to begin the third quarter. Maine quickly responded with a swift 11-3 run to give them a 14-point difference. Wisconsin answered every Maine basket keeping the game between 12-16 until the Herd secured seven consecutive points to crack the 20-point head start. Each team secured one basket before the quarter ended with Maine ahead 91-73.

Maine scored first in the fourth quarter, but the Herd quickly converted a fast break layup off a Celtics turnover. The Herd continued to close the gap outscoring the Celtics 7-2 to make it a 17-point game. Maine converted sequential shots but the Herd remained full steam ahead with Wenyen Gabriel and Chris Livingston combining for eight points. Ryan Rollins added a shot from deep to cut the game to 15 points with four minutes remaining. Wisconsin continued to climb back and a Chris Livingston dunk made it an 11-point game. Maine knocked down a free throw but Chris Livingston responded with a three-pointer to slash the Maine lead to under double-digits. The Herd stayed close but Maine secured two sets of free throws to keep a comfortable lead. Chris Livingston put away a last-second layup, but the Celtics secured the win 117-108.

The Herd will take on the Maine Celtics in the second game of the back-to-back series tomorrow, Saturday, March 2 with a new tip-off time of 6:00 p.m. CST.

--Wisconsin Herd--