Raptors 905 make G League history, grind out win against Blue Coats
While the Oklahoma City Thunder tied the 2016 Golden State Warriors for the best start in NBA history at 24-1 on Wednesday night, five minutes earlier, the Raptors 905 also set a record for the best start in G League history.
A 115-108 victory over the Delaware Blue Coats at the Paramount Fine Foods Centre improved the 905’s record to 11-0, marking the most consecutive wins to start a season ever. The 905 are now three games away from going undefeated in the 14-game Tip-Off Tournament.
The top eight teams of the Tip-Off Tournament will advance to compete for the championship at the NBA G League Winter Showcase, which the 905 have never done. These teams will then compete in a single-elimination bracket, with the winners and runners-up battling for a trophy and a monetary prize pool.
It was versatile forward Jonathan Mogbo leading the way for the Sauga squad on Wednesday, however, as he stuffed the stat sheet. The 24-year-old finished tied for a game-high 20 points to go along with five rebounds, and five stocks while shooting 8-for-11 from the field.
Rookie guard Chucky Hepburn also made his presence felt, as he has all year. The 22-year-old put up 17 points, 15 assists, and three steals, recording his fourth double-double this season.
The Canadians also showed out in Brampton, Ont., native A.J. Lawson and Montreal, Que., native Quincy Guerrier.
The former recorded 17 points and six rebounds, while the second-year forward Guerrier led all bench scorers, adding 17 points, five rebounds, two assists, and a block in this one. This was the most comfortable the 26-year-old has looked since his return from a turf toe injury.
The 905 actually trailed by one entering the fourth quarter, but a big 27-2 run in the middle of the fourth, directed by Hepburn, gave the junior Raptors the lead till the final buzzer.
The 905 have shown an ability to win in multiple ways this season: they can outrun you, they can kill you with triples, or they can grind you out defensively, which is what Canada’s G team did.
They held Delaware to 43.8 per cent shooting from the field, forced 19 turnovers, and ultimately held Delaware to 11 points under their total average per game.
For the Blue Coats, former 905er Kennedy Chandler was great. The G League’s assist leader finished with 20 points, five assists, and four steals in the loss.
Malcom Hill provided complementary scoring for Delaware, adding 20 points himself, four rebounds, and two assists in the effort.
The 905 will look to make it 12-0 against the same team, in the same place, at the same time on Thursday.
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