Raptors 905 win 15 straight, head to Winter Showcase semi-finals

All the pressure was on the Raptors 905 to succeed. Coming into the G League Winter Showcase with a perfect 14-0 record, they had everything to lose. As we have seen with great teams that have played against the Raptors, great teams play all four quarters and are unfazed by the vagaries of the first or even second quarter.

The 905 were down by nine points in the first quarter, but inched within four points by the end of the first half. 

Offensively, David Roddy and Jarkel Joiner stood out. Roddy had a big dunk after a slick crossover. His step-back jumper put the 905 within six. Joiner had a nice hop step, reminding me of early 2010s MVP Derrick Rose. He also had a mid-range jumper to beat the shot clock. 

The 905 got a pair of calls to go their way – an offensive foul by Zach Freemantle and a landing space flagrant-one by Jaelen House. Roddy knocked a wide-open catch-and-shoot 3 to put the 905 up one, but TyTy Washington Jr. answered at the rim and Canadian Jahmyl Telfort scored to beat the buzzer. 

Defensively, the 905 seemed to be experimenting with their aggressive defensive, which they would crank up in the second half. In the second quarter, the 905 left Derek Ogbeide wide open, at times, but this was the cost of doubling bigger threats. 

Down four, the 905 immediately set the tone in the second half by forcing Washington into a backcourt turnover. When Lawson stormed the court like the Roadrunner and hit the transition triple, the 905 bench erupted. For the rest of the game, the bench became the 905’s raucous sixth man. 

Xs and Os play a huge role in winning basketball, but intangibles also shift the outcome of the game. The energy was palpable and effort infectious for the entire team. Olivier Sarr went into the stands to save the ball. When shots were missed, Jonathan Mogbo, who had five offensive boards (and 14 rebounds), would clean up the glass. 

Martin continued to relentlessly attack the basket and right before he subbed off, he disrupted Freemantle from handing the ball off to Telfort and forced a turnover. Regaining possession led to Lawson hitting a corner 3 like it was a shooting  drill – pin-up and then flash to the corner.

When Tyreke Key got the and-one and hit his free throw, the 905 were up 63-59. House was trying his best to dim the energy of the 905 bench, but the Clippers came in undermanned with a nine-man roster. Out-hustling the 905 was not something one Clipper could do on his own. 

Roddy hit another open 3 from the top of the arc, and Hepburn had a nice wrap-around pass to Mogbo to complete a nice one-two punch. Hepburn missed two consecutive shots near the end of the third quarter, but the 905 already built a 10-point lead by that time. 

In the fourth, the officiating became the 905’s seventh man. House was called for a questionable flopping tech on Lawson and the ensuing reaction of head coach Paul Hewitt caused another technical. More points for the 905. 

Any hopes for a comeback were quickly dashed. Patrick Baldwin Jr. flushed down a two-handed dunk to make it a 12-point game, but then air balled the triple. Martin answered back with a coast-to-coast drive, and stared down the Clippers bench. Down 16, Fremantle couldn’t take advantage of Joiner guarding him in the post as Martin came to help and missed the hook over the 905 guards. 

The 905 bench also played the role of referee, too. They were quick to call out Baldwin Jr. for pushing, and the call went their way. The highlight play of the final frame was Mogbo running back to block House’s 3-point shot, and then AJ scoring in transition with a huge one-handed dunk. Mogbo’s two-handed flush near the end of the game was indicative that, ‘This game was oooovvaaaaaa. Let’s go home, ladies and gentlemen!’

Will the 905 continue their 16-game winning streak? Find out this Sunday, December 21st at 1 pm here, the 905’s semi-final game against the Grand Rapids Gold. This undefeated team is two games shy of winning the $100k prize.

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