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Milton Doyle scores 34 in Long Island OT loss to Wisconsin

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Toronto Raptors v Brooklyn Nets Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images

Milton Doyle had another big scoring night Friday but his Long Island Nets lost in overtime, 115-109, to the Wisconsin Herd at Nassau Coliseum. Doyle finished with 34 points in 40 minutes, shooting 12-of-28 overall and 9-of-17 from deep.

Doyle, who was the G-League Player of the Week last week, is averaging 29.3 points per game over the last four games, shooting 53.1 percent from deep in that stretch. Friday night was Long Island’s first loss in that stretch.

The 6’4” Loyola Chicago product was the game’s high scorer, besting Brandon Jennings who had 29 to lead the Herd. Jennings hit a dramatic three to put the game into OT.

In an interview earlier this week with G-League’s Jeff Wong, Doyle said he appreciates his role as a two-way contract.

“It’s great — you get to experience a little bit of everything,” he said. “Playing [in the G League], you get a lot of minutes and playing [in the NBA] — you get to experience what it’s like to be around those guys and that talent.”

Doyle has not been alone in his journey as he’s received help along the way from his Brooklyn teammates.

“All the guards: D’Angelo [Russell], Spencer [Dinwiddie], DeMarre Carroll,” he listed. “They’re the ones that look out for me and make sure I’m doing the right things.”

Doyle is yet another Nets development success. At Loyola Chicago, Doyle was not on anyone’s mock draft or even 100 players. But the Nets liked what they saw at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament for college seniors last April and signed him in order to a summer league deal, a training camp contract, a D-League deal and finally, a two-way NBA contract. He’s played six games so far with Brooklyn.

In the NBA G League, he’s top-5 in scoring (22.2), and triples per game (3.5), a big improvement from the numbers (15.2 and 1.2) he averaged during his last season at Loyola.

“Just during the draft process, that was a thing I really wanted to focus on,” Doyle told Wong about improving his three-point stroke. “[In the G League], there’s so much freedom and room on the court that you just have to take those shots. In college, it’s more of a smaller court, and guys are on you more especially when you’re the main guy. But with the guys I got, they give me open shots.”

Bigger court or not, the 24-year-old is likely to get another chance to succeed next summer and fall.

“Just always being the underdog, you’ve got to prove a point,” said Doyle. “I think that’s the identity of [Long Island and] identically with the Brooklyn team — just sticking with that mentality.”

In Friday night’s action, James Webb III, the Nets other two-way contract, finished with a double-double: 22 points, 17 rebounds, four assists and two steals. Jeremy Senglin had 16 points off the bench.

The young Nets are now 21-17, a game and a half inside the G-League playoff picture with 12 to play.

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