South Bay Lakers steamrolled the Sioux Falls Skyforce on Thursday night, delivering a 137-114 victory at the UCLA Health Training Center in El Segundo, California. The win came with late-season urgency as South Bay pushes for the top seed in the Western Conference standings and keeps its dominant run rolling. Nick Smith Jr. provided the headline moment, returning from lower back soreness and detonating for a season-high 34 points off the bench.
South Bay Lakers overwhelm Skyforce behind Smith’s season-high 34
Smith’s night was a jolt from the opening half. He scored 23 of his 34 points before the break, helping South Bay take a 68-58 lead into the locker room. He did the damage in just 26 minutes, shooting 13-of-20 from the field and burying six three-pointers, while adding five assists and two steals.
South Bay turned the game into a runaway late, dominating the fourth quarter 37-20 to lock in the comfortable margin. The team also built a lead as large as 25 points during the night, never allowing Sioux Falls to seriously threaten once the game tilted.
The result also fit into a broader run of form: South Bay recently posted a franchise-record 12-game winning streak and sits atop the Western Conference standings with a 25-10 record, holding a one-game lead over the Mexico City Capitanes.
Timme fills the box score; five players hit double figures
Drew Timme continued to stack productive nights, finishing with 20 points, seven rebounds, and six assists for South Bay. Timme’s line also included one steal and one block, and he shot 8-of-14 from the field in 34 minutes.
South Bay had balance behind Smith and Timme, with five players scoring in double figures. Dalton Knecht added 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting, plus four rebounds, two assists, a steal, and a block in 27 minutes, though he went 1-of-5 from three-point range. RJ Davis chipped in 12 points and six assists. Malik Williams posted nine points but controlled the glass with a game-high 13 rebounds against his former team.
Bronny James finished with nine points, three rebounds, and five assists and had a dunk that drew attention on social media. The roster mix included two-way players and NBA assignees, a combination that has helped drive the team’s current position at the top of the standings.
Skyforce counterpunch falls short; injury knocks Bufkin out early
Sioux Falls, fighting to hold its playoff position at 18-17, got 27 points and seven rebounds from Josh Christopher. Jahmir Young added 26 points and a game-high nine assists, while Trevor Keels scored 19. Vladislav Goldin finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds in the loss.
South Bay also had a setback: Kobe Bufkin, on assignment from the NBA Lakers, left the game in the first half because of a shoulder injury and did not return.
What’s next: quick turnaround Saturday night at 8 p. m. ET
The teams won’t have to wait long to see each other again. South Bay and Sioux Falls are set to meet again at 8 p. m. ET Saturday at the UCLA Health Training Center, with the South Bay Lakers carrying momentum from Thursday’s offensive burst into a rematch that could further shape the late-season race for seeding.
