EL SEGUNDO — The South Bay Lakers used a dominant fourth quarter to pull away from the Sioux Falls Skyforce for a 137-114 victory Thursday night at UCLA Health Training Center.
South Bay (25-10) broke open a tight game by outscoring Sioux Falls 37-20 in the final period, turning a six-point lead into a comfortable 23-point win while improving to 15-2 at home.
Nick Smith Jr. led the way with a season-high 34 points, shooting 13 of 20 from the field and 6 of 10 from beyond the arc, while adding five assists and two steals. Drew Timme contributed 20 points, seven rebounds and six assists, and Dalton Knecht chipped in 19 points in his assignment from the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Lakers’ ball movement proved decisive throughout the night. South Bay finished with 35 assists and improved to 7-2 this season when recording at least 30 assists. The team racked up 11 assists in the fourth quarter alone, matching a season-high for a single quarter.
RJ Davis added 12 points and six assists, while Arthur Kaluma provided a spark off the bench with 10 points.
Sioux Falls stayed within striking distance for much of the game behind a balanced scoring effort. Josh Christopher led the Skyforce with 27 points and seven rebounds, while Jahmir Young filled the stat sheet with 26 points, nine assists and seven rebounds. Trevor Keels added 19 points, and Vladislav Goldin posted a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
But South Bay’s depth and efficiency overwhelmed the Skyforce late, as the Lakers’ offense found another gear in the final minutes to seal the win.
South Bay will close out the regular season against Sioux Falls on Saturday at UCLA Health Training Center.