HERD FALLS TO LAKERS IN WINTER SHOWCASE

The Wisconsin Herd, NBA G League affiliate of the Milwaukee Bucks, lost to the South Bay Lakers 131-119.

Kaden Anderson and Cormac Ryan paced the Herd with 22 points each, while Victor Oladipo followed with 19 points.

The top scorers for the South Bay Lakers were R.J. Davis with 25 points and Kobe Bufkin with 23 points.

South Bay jumped out to a 5–0 lead to start the game, but Wisconsin answered quickly with John Butler Jr. converting five points. Victor Oladipo added a deep three to cut the deficit to one, and Kaden Anderson followed with a layup and a transition three to give Wisconsin their first lead of the game. Craig Randall II came off the bench to knock down a three, pushing the Herd ahead 19-18. The Lakers responded with a late surge, moving past Wisconsin 30–25 after the first quarter.

Wisconsin started the second quarter by quickly closing the gap with a layup from Dennis Smith Jr. and a fast-break finish from Victor Oladipo. Cormac Ryan knocked down a jump shot while Kira Lewis Jr. scored in transition to put the Herd ahead 42-40 halfway through the quarter. Kaden Anderson and Stephen Thompson Jr. added a three-pointer each to extend the lead 50–42 at the four-minute mark.  Wisconsin finished the half strong, leading 62–56 after outscoring South Bay 37–26 in the quarter.

The Herd opened the third quarter with Kaden Anderson scoring inside, and Cormac Ryan added consecutive baskets to push the lead 69–58. Oladipo’s driving layup and triple extended the margin to 80–69 midway through the quarter. South Bay answered with an 11–0 run, capped by a deep three to tie the game at 80–80. Wisconsin regained the lead briefly at 88–86 behind a shot beyond the arc for Kira Lewis Jr. A Lakers’ three in the final seconds gave them a 91–90 edge at the end of the quarter.

Wisconsin tied the game 93–93 on an Oladipo three early in the fourth quarter, but South Bay responded with a series of unanswered baskets to go up 106–95. Cormac Ryan connected on a three to cut the deficit 122–113, and Kaden Anderson added two layups to keep the Herd within reach. Kira Lewis Jr. chipped in a three and a layup, but South Bay continued to pull away, closing out a 131–119 win.

The Herd will play their second game of the Winter Showcase tomorrow, Monday, Dec. 21st, at 6:00 p.m. CST. Fans can watch the game on the NBA App and the Roku Sports Channel.

--Wisconsin Herd--