Playing in front of a sold-out crowd at Menominee Nation Arena in Oshkosh, the Wisconsin Herd christened their new home with a come-from-behind win over the Iowa Wolves, 116-109, on December 1st.
The game marked the Milwaukee Bucks' new minor-league affiliate's first in Oshkosh; The Herd had played their first three scheduled home games of the season at the BMO Harris Bradley Center, home of the Bucks, while the new arena was being completed.
Here are some notes about the game:
• The Herd's starting five for the Oshkosh Home opener (12/1/2017):
Gary Payton II
James Young
D.J. Wilson
Sterling Brown
Joel Bolomboy
• Both Milwaukee Bucks 2017 draft picks, 1st-round pick D.J. Wilson (Michigan) and 2nd-rounder Sterling Brown (SMU), were assigned to the Herd before the game. It was Wilson's first appearance with the Herd and Brown's third.
Due to a deep and talented roster, both rookies have played sparingly with the Bucks this season and the team is smartly utilizing their new minor-league affiliate to get their young players more minutes against high-level competition.
• D.J. Wilson, a 6'10" forward with good shooting range, scored 24 points on 9-of-15 shooting (3-of-5 3PT) and stuffed the stat sheet with four rebounds, four assists, and two steals in 28 minutes. The first-rounder showed the home crowd his deft shooting ability, nailing NBA threes and turnaround jumpers with ease. The promising big man is averaging 0.9 points per game in nine appearances for the Bucks thus far.
• Sterling Brown, a 6'6" guard who excels at slashing to the basket, tallied 14 points (6-of-20 FG), nine rebounds, and three assists in 33 minutes. As he has in each of his appearances with the Herd this year, Brown played well on both offense and defense. Brown is averaging 1.8 points and 1.0 rebounds per game in five games for the Bucks this season.
• Both Bucks Two-Way players, guard Gary Payton II and forward Joel Bolomboy, were also in action for the Herd in their Oshkosh home opener. It was Payton's third appearance with the Herd, and his first since November 11th. It was Bolomboy's first time with the Herd since their very first game of the season, back on November 6th.
• GPII played well in 33 minutes of action, scoring 18 points on 6-of-8 shooting (1-of-2 3PT) while adding six rebounds, three assists, and four steals.
• Bolomboy tallied six points, six rebounds, and one assist in 33 minutes of action.
• Forward Cliff Alexander hit 7-of-11 shots and 6-of-6 free throws on his way to 20 points against the Wolves. As he has for the Herd all season, Alexander got it done inside, grabbing six boards and throwing down several powerful slams.
• Sharp-shooting James Young, who was named the NBA G League's Performer of the Week in Week 3 of the season, scored 12 points on 3-of-10 shooting (3-of-8 3PT) to go along with six rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
• The Herd's starting lineup was so loaded with talent that Xavier Munford, who has to be considered a front-runner for NBA G League MVP so far, came off the bench against the Wolves. Munford still produced a full stat line from his sixth-man role, scoring 18 points (7-of-12 FG) with six rebounds, four assists, and two steals in 32 minutes.
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