G League Wisconsin Herd

Adams' 39-Point Effort Leads Herd to a 122-115 Victory over Grand Rapids

Published on January 22, 2020 under NBA G League (G League)
Wisconsin Herd News Release


OSHKOSH, Wis - The Wisconsin Herd (21-5), the NBA G League affiliate of the Milwaukee Bucks, collected its league-best 21st win of the season with a 122-115 victory over the Grand Rapids Drive (15-12) on Wednesday night inside Menominee Nation Arena.

Four Herd players scored in double figures and the team was led by Jaylen Adams who poured in a season-high 39 points (11-18 FG, 6-12 3FG). Leon Gilmore collected the first 20-point game of his career and tallied 21 points and seven rebounds in a reserve role. Brandon McCoy and D.J. Hogg each had 14 points, while Jemerrio Jones posted a stat line of eight points, 13 rebounds, five assists and four steals.

Tre'Shawn Thurman led Grand Rapids and scored a team-high 25 points and added seven rebounds, three assists and two steals off the bench. Craig Sword had 22 points and six steals, while Dakarai Allen notched 18 points, four rebounds and eight assists. Donta Hall recorded 14 points, eight rebounds and two blocks and Tra-Deon Hollins had 12 points, five rebounds, 10 assists and three steals. Adam Woodbury pitched in with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Wisconsin began the game by making its first four shots from field which equated to an early 10-3 Herd lead and a Grand Rapids timeout. With just over eight minutes to play in the frame, Wisconsin collected its first double-digit lead of the evening as Adams knocked in his fourth field goal and second three-pointer of the night. In total, Adams made all five of his shots in the frame and led all scorers with 13 points. As a team, the Herd shot 9-of-15 from the floor, while Grand Rapids shot 28% overall and 1-for-12 from three. Despite taking 10 fewer field goals than the Drive, Wisconsin held Grand Rapids to a season-low 15 first quarter points and led by 10 at the end of the opening 12 minutes.

To start the second quarter, Hogg tallied his second three-pointer and upped the Herd's advantage to 13. Wisconsin scored the first five points of the period and jumped out to a 15-point lead, which served the largest of the first half. However, the Drive responded and rattled off 10 straight points and made it a 30-25 game with 8:12 remaining in the half. The Grand Rapids run forced a Herd timeout and following the stoppage, the Drive used an additional 8-2 spurt to regain the lead, 33-32. Grand Rapids had a 22-point turnaround and led by as many as seven points in the stanza. With the Herd facing its largest deficit of the night, Wisconsin scored consecutive baskets and made it a 41-38 game. To cap the half, Adams collected his fourth three-pointer which pulled the Herd to within one. For the quarter, the Drive scored 34 points, outpaced the Wisconsin by 11 and led 49-48 at the intermission.

Adams picked up where he left off in the first half and tallied his eighth field goal to start the third quarter. The basket equated to his 22nd point of the night and gave Wisconsin the lead once more. Adams scored seven quick points in the opening two and a half minutes, and as a team, the Herd reopened a 10-point lead in the opening three and a half minutes of the period. With 1:51 left to play in the frame, Wisconsin used an 11-0 run and opened a 20-point lead. In the third quarter alone, the Herd scored a 46 points which is the most the team has scored in a single period in franchise history. Wisconsin outscored Grand Rapids by 21 in the frame and led 94-74 heading into the final 12 minutes.

With 7:28 to play in the game, the Drive sliced 11 points off the Herd's lead and made it a nine-point game. Grand Rapids fourth quarter success persisted, and the Drive made it a five-point game with 3:13 to play. Grand Rapids scored 34 points in just under nine minutes of game action which resulted in a tight contest down the stretch. The Drive managed to make it a one possession game with just under 20 seconds remaining on the clock, but that is as close as Grand Rapids would get. The Drive won the quarter 41-28, but the 20-point fourth quarter deficit proved to be too much and the Herd escaped with a 122-115 victory.

With the win, Wisconsin has tied its franchise-high with 21 wins this season. Additionally, the Herd extended its divisional lead to 4.5 games over Canton, and the team now owns a 2.5 game lead over the Maine Red Claws for the top spot in the Eastern Conference.

Wisconsin will now hit the road and head west for a brief two-game road trip with games against Santa Cruz and Stockton. Tip-off against the Warriors is set for 9:00 PM CT on Friday, Jan. 24.

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