Raptors 905 outlast Oklahoma City Blue for third straight win
The Raptors 905 (5-2) won their third consecutive game for just the first time all year, doing so by way of a 121-117 road victory against the Oklahoma City Blue on Monday night.
It may have taken over two months and a season reset, but it’s pizza party time in Mississauga. The junior dinos are now winners of four of their last five and tied with the Greensboro Swarm atop the Eastern Conference. Their .714 win percentage is also tied for third-best in all of the G League.
A.J. Lawson led the the charge on Monday, doing it for a second game in a row, as he finished with a team-high 26 points on 11-of-21 shooting to go with nine rebounds. 17 of those points came in the first half as he started the game an impressive 7-of-13. Frank Kaminsky also had one of his best outings with the 905 as he finished with a double-double of 12 points and a career-high 13 assists. Kennedy Chandler chipped in with 21 points off the bench while going three-for-three from distance, and starters Evan Gilyard and Quincy Guerrier added 16 points each.
Meanwhile, Ulrich Chomche also had a positive night, finishing a game-high plus-18 despite a modest showing on the box score (four points, five rebounds, one assist and three turnovers). The 905 found plenty of success in his minutes largely due to his usual defensive excellence as Chomche finished with four blocks, three of which came in the fourth quarter.
None more impressive than his final swat where he sprinted back in transition, took one step away from the paint and sent a 3-point attempt flying into the stands with relative ease.
For a while, it looked like the game was going to be a carbon copy of their previous victory against the Maine Celtics. A back-and-forth first half and eventually the 905 would find a run to pull away after the break.
They trailed by six at halftime, largely because OKC caught fire and nailed eight triples in the second quarter — shoutout Buddy Boeheim (great name) who did most of the damage as he finished five-of-six from downtown — but come the third, the 905 put up 40 points and managed to carve out a three-point lead. Said advantage was then built up to 14 throughout the final frame and with as little as 5:48 to go.
That was where the similarities to Saturday’s win stopped, however, as a 14-4 run by the Blue quickly made things interesting. The 905 clung onto a four-point lead with less than 30 seconds to go and made some head-scratching miscues that nearly cost them the game. Charlie Brown Jr. sailed an inbound pass that was intercepted right under OKC’s basket for an easy layup, and then Lawson inexplicably fouled on a three-point attempt a couple possessions later while up three.
Had it not been for Miller Kopp missing two of those three free throws with 10.7 seconds to go, the game likely would’ve gone to overtime. All in all, it took a bit of luck but the 905 escaped with an impressive win nonetheless. With rookies Jamison Battle and Jonathan Mogbo in Toronto with the Raptors after spending some time with the 905 last week, and Eugene Omoruyi called up while on a 10-day, it showed a lot of character from the G League squad to still pull out a win.
Key stat
A lot has been going right for the 905 on both ends of the floor as of late and it’s been a collective effort. They’re top five in points per game as a team (115.1) while ranking third in average assists (26.8), steals (10.3) and field goal percentage (47.8).
The offence looked especially potent in Monday’s win as the 905 shot 49.4 per cent from the field while making a stellar 15 threes on a 45.5 per cent clip. A great encore performance after hitting 17 triples on 49 per cent shooting against against Maine a couple days prior.
Up next
The 905 stay on the road for their next game, visiting the Grand Rapids Gold on Thursday for the final of four away games before a quick two-game homestand.
Make sure to check out Raptors Republic’s weekly 905 preview to get ready for all the action throughout the next seven days.
The post Raptors 905 outlast Oklahoma City Blue for third straight win first appeared on Raptors Republic.