Wisconsin Herd make winning start in Oshkosh, defeat Iowa Wolves 116-109
By Adam McGee
Positive takeaway
Friday night was a perfect example of all of the positives that a G League franchise, specifically the Wisconsin Herd, can offer to its various stakeholders.
From a basketball standpoint, there was plenty of reason for both the Bucks and Herd to be pleased. Having arrived back in Milwaukee from Portland at 3.30pm, D.J. Wilson, Sterling Brown, Gary Payton II and Joel Bolomboy all made the trip to Oshkosh, where they arrived just 90 minutes before tip.
With all four young players having previously been limited to garbage time minutes with the Bucks, they received meaningful run with the Herd and generally made the most of it.
Wilson led the team in scoring with 24 points and also added four rebounds, four assists and three steals. Brown, on his second assignment with the Herd, picked up 14 points, nine rebounds and three assists. On his 25th birthday, Payton stuffed the stat sheet with 15 points, six rebounds, four steals and three assists. While although Bolomboy wasn’t at his best, six points and six rebounds in real minutes is certainly nothing to be ashamed of either.
Even with the players who’d been with the Bucks coming down, it didn’t stop the Herd’s own standout players from impressing too. Xavier Munford finished with 18 points, six rebounds and four assists, including a high-impact fourth quarter showing, while Cliff Alexander also stood out with 20 points and six rebounds, including his usual variety of powerful dunks.
The benefits of the night didn’t just end with the Bucks and Herd, though, as on the opening night for the new arena it was a clear win for the people of Oshkosh. The Menominee Nation Arena was sold out and packed with fans who let their voices be heard as their Herd battled for a win in a close game.
With all of the long-established trappings of in-game NBA presentation, there was plenty of entertainment for the fans in between the action, and it’s not difficult to imagine Herd games continuing to capture the community’s imagination moving forward.
It’s not often that everyone wins, but excluding the visiting Iowa Wolves, that really was the case on Friday night.