The Wisconsin Herd added to their sterling start this G League season by racing past the Lakeland Magic Wednesday night for their fifth straight victory.
Make that five straight wins for the Wisconsin Herd after they took care of business on the road against the Lakeland Magic in a 115-93 victory at the RP Funding Center.
The Magic came out of the gates hitting shots and the Herd quickly caught up to battle back and trade baskets with the Magic. Eventually, though, the Herd’s offense got pretty sloppy and turnovers started to pile up for the Bucks’ affiliate and the Magic subsequently took advantage to hold a 34-27 edge at the end of one.
More from Bucks News
- Bucks 2023-24 player profile: Can MarJon Beauchamp take a leap?
- Piecing together the Milwaukee Bucks’ dream starting 5 in 5 years
- Predicting Thanasis Antetokounmpo’s 2023-24 stats for the Bucks
- Grade the trade: Bucks land reputable backup guard in swap with Pacers
- New workout video should have Milwaukee Bucks fans excited
The Herd quickly erased their deficit with a flurry of triples made by Jaylen Adams, Luke Maye and Rayjon Tucker and the Magic initially struggled to keep up with the Herd’s strong second quarter run.
Lakeland managed to find their scoring touch in the latter minutes of the period and it resulted in both teams being knotted up at 56 upon entering the halftime break.
The back and forth affair continued between the two teams once the third quarter got underway. That was until the four-minute mark as the Herd took full advantage of the Magic’s offense stalling out by rattling off a 14-2 run to close out the period and take an 85-72 lead into the final frame.
The Magic fired off another run to start the fourth quarter and came within 4 of the Herd at the 7:38 mark in the period. That would be as close as the Orlando affiliate would get as Wisconsin re-established control of the game and leaned on their starters to close out the night and eventually tally their third road win of the young G League season.
Moving on to individual performances, the Herd were led by rookie wing Rayjon Tucker, who finished with 21 points on 15 shots (3-for-5 from three, 1-for-1 from the foul line), nine rebounds, five assists, three turnovers and was a team-high +22 in 33 and a half minutes of action.
The 22-year-old continues to show off his varied scoring ability as Tucker was hitting shots from all levels of the court throughout his shifts on the floor. And his high-flying prowess took flight midway through the fourth quarter when Tucker proceeded to throw down a strong take to the basket to lay the foundation to the Herd’s fourth quarter run that eventually closed out the victory.
Behind Tucker stood second-year guard Jaylen Adams, who orchestrated the Herd’s offense with ease for the greater part of Wednesday night. The St. Bonaventure alum posted 18 points on 13 shots (2-for-6 from deep, 1-for-1 from the free throw line), a season-high 10 assists, four turnovers, three rebounds and was a +9 in nearly 32 and a half minutes.
While Adams’ range shooting trended downward compared to the strong start he’s had so far from long distance, the 23-year-old’s playmaking and distribution of the ball led to many dazzling feeds and dimes to his teammates, especially out of pick-and-roll situations.
Rookie forward/big man Luke Maye rounded things out for the Herd by putting together his second double-double performance of the season with 17 points and 13 boards, and the former Tar Heel added to his strong shooting start from long range by going 3-of-6 for the night.
Overall, the disparity on the glass between the Herd and the Magic stood out all night long as Wisconsin corralled 62 rebounds to the Magic’s 42 (that includes 17 offensive boards for the Herd as well). But considering the Herd have been the strongest rebounding team in the G League by both counting and advanced numbers, it shouldn’t be a surprise to see them win the possession battle and to do so in such a commanding manner.
The Herd will continue their road trek by taking a trip up to upstate New York to take on the Westchester Knicks Friday night for a 6 p.m. central time tip-off.