South Bay Catches Fire, Drops 139 Points in Victory Over Sioux Falls

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – The South Bay Lakers (20-11), the G League affiliate of the Los Angeles Lakers, shot a season-best 58.2 percent from the field and tied their season-high point total with 139 as they took down the Sioux Falls Skyforce (14-20), 139-126, on Thursday night at the UCLA Health Training Center.

With key contributors Mac McClung, Jay Huff and Darren Collison all sidelined due to injuries, South Bay debuted a new starting lineup tonight. Elijah Cain, making his first start of the season, stepped up for the Lakers, posting a team-high 17 points in the first half. Skyforce center Micah Potter countered with 17 points of his own, and the Lakers held a narrow lead after a high-scoring first half, 78-75.

The offense did not slow down after the break as Tremont Waters led South Bay with 11 of the team’s 34 points in the third quarter. Sioux Falls made a few runs late in the game, but South Bay’s offense was too much to overcome. A season-low seven turnovers for the Lakers helped South Bay come away with the victory, 139-126, tying their highest scoring total of the 2021-22 season.

Lakers two-way guard Mason Jones kept up his dominant offensive play by dropping 28 points and dishing out seven assists, while fellow starter Elijah Cain finished with a career-high 25 points. Nate Pierre-Louis tied his career-high with 20 points and picked off four steals, further solidifying his case for NBA G League Defensive Player of the Year. Coming off a team-high 23-point performance on Monday night, Tremont Waters recorded a strong double-double off the bench with 25 points and 10 assists. Jemerrio Jones, making his second start of the season for South Bay, led the team in rebounds for the ninth time this season with 14 tonight.

Micah Potter led the way for the Skyforce with 33 points and 10 rebounds, which were both team-highs. Two-time NBA champion Mario Chalmers spread the ball around with 12 assists to go with 17 points, and forward Chandler Hutchison added 20 points and seven rebounds.

South Bay will host a rematch with Sioux Falls in the regular season finale on Saturday at 5:00 P.M. PT at the UCLA Health Training Center.