Luck of the Irish: Raptors 905 snap 10-game skid on Saint Patrick’s Day
In a game that saw six technical fouls, three ejections, two flagrant fouls, and clutch free throws, Monday’s Saint Patrick’s Day game between the Raptors 905 and Windy City Bulls had everything.
It took Tylor Perry sinking three clutch free throws at the buzzer, but the junior Dinos snapped a 10-game losing streak by winning 115-114. Coming into tonight, the 905 had lost 12 of their last 13 games, with their last win coming back on Feb.12.
The first five minutes were slow. Both teams came out with low energy and sloppy play, combining for five turnovers in five minutes. The energy naturally picked up when a technical foul was assessed to Chicago Bulls’ two-way E.J. Liddell for shoving 905 forward Eugene Omoruyi after a physical contest. The 905 would respond with a 12-4 run, propelled by Charlie Brown Jr. who would lead all scorers after the first quarter with eight points. Thanks to that run, the junior Raps would hold the lead all the way until the final shot of the quarter, when Bulls guard Jahmir Young would hit a half court buzzer beater, which can only be explained by having the luck of the Irish of course, tying things up at 28.
The 905 would come out firing to start the second, starting the frame on an 8-0 run mainly thanks to Evan Gilyard II. Against his former team, the 26-year-old would can a triple and hit a fadeaway middy to give the 905 the lead once again. The 905 would continue to play well, only holding Windy City to two points through the first five minutes, turning that run into a 15-2 advantage in the quarter. The second half of the second quarter would be all Bulls, however, finishing on a 15-4 run to bring it within three at the break, 52-49. That late surge was led by former 905er Javon Freeman-Liberty and Canadian Emanuel Miller.
Overall, it was a much better first half for Mississauga’s team than in the previous matchup, holding the lead in this one instead of being down by six. Also, during the second quarter, Loudon Love suffered a lower-body injury but would return to the game late in the third.
The start of the third quarter was a battle between the guards playing their former teams in Gilyard and Freeman-Liberty. They would go shot for shot, both draining shots from deep and getting to the rim. Freeman-Liberty would get the upper hand, however, putting down 14 points in the first five minutes of the frame, powering Windy City to an eight-point lead behind a 19-8 run to start the quarter.
Things would get testy in the third, with Young throwing a shoulder into Omoruyi while setting a screen, dropping him to the floor. The Toronto, Ontario, raised forward would pop and charge Young, causing a skirmish to occur. Ultimately, Young, Omoruyi, and Bulls forward E.J. Liddell would all be ejected from the game. It would be physical the rest of the frame, as the Bulls would continue their great quarter, though it would be more of a team effort. 905 head coach Drew Jones would have Tyreke Key face-guarding Freeman-Liberty, so it would be players like Eric Gaines and Ryan Arcidiacono propping up the offence. Windy City would put up nearly 40 points in the third alone, holding an 87-81 lead heading into the fourth.
The intensity would pick back up to start the fourth for the 905, going on a 12-6 run in the first four minutes to tie things up at 93. It would be back and forth right down to the wire, but Perry would sink free throws at the end to snap the streak.
The post Luck of the Irish: Raptors 905 snap 10-game skid on Saint Patrick’s Day first appeared on Raptors Republic.