Guard Stephen Thompson scored a game-high 27 points to help the Wisconsin Herd sneak past the Osceola Magic 112-110 at the Silver Spurs Arena Jan. 29.
Thompson finished the game 11-of-19 from the field and collected two rebounds and three assists to help the Herd snap a two-game losing streak.
The Herd (7-8), who sit in ninth place in the Eastern Conference of the NBA G League, shot 49.5% from the floor and 37.8% from 3-point range as a team. Wisconsin finished the contest with more rebounds (50-45), assists (28-25) and blocked shots (8-4) than the Magic forced 13 turnovers.
Aside from Thompson, the Herd was led by forwards Wenyen Gabriel and Elijah Hughes who both scored 21 points. Wenyen nearly had a triple-double in the game and finished with 10 rebounds and six assists. Center Marques Bolden finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds while guard Malachi Smith added 17 points.
As a team, the Magic (7-5) shot 42.5% from the field and 38.3% from behind the arc. Osceola forced 16 Herd turnovers and had nine steals.
The Magic was led by forward Jett Howard, who scored 26 points, grabbed three rebounds and dished out four assists. Guard Alex Morales finished with 19 points and six rebounds while center D.J. Wilson added 18 points and six assists. Forward Miye Oni finished with a double-double, scoring 10 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.
The Herd scored the first two baskets of the game after a Glenn Robinson III layup and a Bolden hook shot, but the Magic responded with a 3-pointer from Wilson to cut the lead to 4-3. A Thompson jumper sparked an 11-3 Wisconsin run that gave the Herd a 15-6 lead. Wisconsin held onto a double-digit lead until Osceola embarked on a 12-2 run midway through the quarter to draw to within a point of the Herd. Smith nailed a 3-pointer to give Wisconsin a four-point advantage, but Howard connected on a 3-pointer with four seconds left in the period to draw the Magic to within 31-30 at the break.
Osceola converted on its first two shots of the second quarter to take a four-point lead, but the Herd quickly tied the game at 40 a few minutes later after back-to-back baskets from Hughes. The two teams traded blows for the remainder of the quarter until Smith hit a floater to give Wisconsin a four-point lead. Morales nailed a jumper at the buzzer, but the Herd led 60-58 going into halftime.
Wisconsin held onto a narrow advantage for the first few minutes of the third quarter, but Osceola’s Kevon Harris tied the game at 64 and the Magic proceeded to go on a 15-2 run to take a 77-66 lead with five minutes left in the period. Osceola enjoyed a double-digit lead for the remainder of the quarter and a Daeqwon Plowden 3-pointer gave the Magic a 92-79 lead at the break.
Back-to-back 3-pointers from Thompson and Gabriel cut the deficit to seven points, and a 5-0 run with eight minutes to play brought the Herd to within four points of the Magic. Osceola took a 102-96 lead after a Morales layup, but Wisconsin cut the lead to just one point after another Thompson 3-pointer. The Herd took the lead after Hughes nailed a 3-pointer and claimed a 108-104 advantage following a layup from Thompson. The Magic tied the game at 110 with 11 seconds left after a 3-pointer from Howard, but the Herd responded with a putback layup from Gabriel to once again take the lead. Howard attempted to win the game with a 3-pointer at the buzzer, but it was off the mark and Wisconsin hung on for a two-point victory.
The Herd will return home to take on the Westchester Knicks (5-10) at the Oshkosh Arena Feb. 1 with tipoff scheduled for 6 p.m.
