Preview: Valley Suns at Wisconsin Herd

OSHKOSH, Wis. (Interstat) — Two teams seeking to halt slides and climb out of the G League’s lower tier will meet Monday when the Valley Suns visit the Wisconsin Herd at Oshkosh Arena.

Both clubs enter with identical 12-win records, though the Suns (12-30) sit a half-game ahead of the Herd (12-29) in the standings. The matchup represents a critical opportunity for either squad to gain a rare positive result in what have been challenging seasons.

Valley arrives after a heartbreaking 126-125 road loss to Rip City on Saturday, their second straight defeat to that opponent after a 132-122 loss last Friday. The Suns have lost three of their last four, with their lone win in that stretch coming on Feb. 28 at Texas.

A bright spot for Valley has been the scoring of guard Jaden Shackelford. He is coming off a 34-point performance in Friday’s loss to Rip City and averaged 24 points over his last three outings, including a 22-point, 8-rebound effort in a win over Westchester on Feb. 10.

Wisconsin has struggled even more profoundly, carrying a six-game losing streak into Monday’s contest. Their last victory was a 134-126 road win at Memphis on Feb. 27. Since then, the Herd have lost four straight at home, most recently a 116-104 defeat to Mexico City last Friday.

Forward Kobe Stewart has been a focal point for Wisconsin. He led the team with 24 points and five rebounds in that loss to Mexico City. However, his production has been inconsistent during the skid, scoring in single digits in three of the last six games.

The game will feature two of the league’s least-stingy defenses. Valley allows a league-worst 124.3 points per game, while Wisconsin ranks near the bottom, surrendering 119.2 points per contest on average. A high-scoring affair appears likely.

For the Suns, stopping the slide is paramount as they begin a three-game road trip. For the Herd, breaking a lengthy home losing streak is the immediate goal before heading back on the road later this week.

Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. CST Monday at Oshkosh Arena.