Fourth-quarter collapse sinks the Raptors 905 on second night of back-to-back

The Raptors 905 should’ve had this one.

Up 22 points in the third quarter and firing on all cylinders, the powerhouse 905 appeared primed to win a sixth straight and get one step closer to securing a home playoff game. But they let the Rip City Remix back into the game as offensive lapses collided with a hot-shooting stretch from the Trail Blazers affiliate.

The Remix are feeling the heat, fighting for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, and played with the type of urgency we usually see from college teams facing March Madness elimination this time of year. They had a 7-of-8 stretch from 3, including 4-of-4 from Connor Youngblood, and won the final 15 minutes of hoops 48-18.

Despite struggling down the stretch, the 905 still held a late lead. But they didn’t score over the final four minutes and Rip City put up a dozen. Their play ebbed and flowed erratically, and was ultimately undone by a pair of putrid runs, as the 905 further complicated their quest for home-court advantage with a 115-107 loss on the second night of a back-to-back on the road in Portland.

The 905 paraded past Rip City’s porous perimeter defence and to the rim to run up a 26-10 lead out of the gate. Markelle Fultz waltzed to the rim. After he missed a corner 3 – he’s an admittedly bad shooter – Fultz snatched the o-board and finished a baseline reverse. AJ Hoggard and Jarkel Joiner both came off the bench and beelined straight to the hoop for finishes. The 905 started 11-of-13 from 2-point range, almost exclusively off layups. The outside shot wasn’t falling, but they did run 77 skip for Hoggard and he banged a step-back 3. The back-up point guard had 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting and added five assists and three stocks.

The Remix got back into it by beating the 905 at their own game. They dialled up the pressure and pace, turning stops and steals into fastbreak points to the tune of an 18-4 run. They were also outshooting the 905, as Caleb Love, Andrew Carr and Javon Cooke all canned pull-up triples. Hansen Yang used fancy footwork on a turnaround hook.

Lawson struck like lightning to start the second quarter, tipping a Remix pass forward, chasing it down past the retreating defenders, turning a sharp corner and making a screeching layup at full speed. These blazing runouts have become a signature for the Toronto-born wing. Lawson’s verve, and shot making from both him and fellow G League All Star Alijah Martin, propelled the 905 to a 10-point lead at half.

Martin had 21 points, seven boards and shot 3-of-7 from long range. Lawson scored 20 on 6-of-13 shooting and nabbed a couple steals.

The 905 also turned off the water on Rip City’s drives, allowing only a few shots at the rim and greeting them all with staunch contests. Only six of Rip City’s 21 points in the second quarter came in the paint and four of those were in transition.

The 905 were able to consistently generate good looks coming out of the half. Lawson and Tyson Degenhart each made and missed catch-and-shoot triples. Ever reliable, Degenhart made a pair of cutting layups. Tyrese Samuel finished with finesse at the rim. The Mississauga-based squad surged ahead. Their defence stayed connected, remaining on the same page and executing coverage even when Rip City threw well-designed plays their way. Hoggard drained a deep, late-clock heave extending the lead further, up to 17. The Remix made two over-and-back violations in short order. A win seemed all but certain.

Then the game turned on a dime. The 905 loosened their grip, making careless turnovers, and the desperate Remix capitalized by snapping off a 13-0 run to end the third, cutting the score to single digits.

The fourth was played mostly even until the fateful final stretch. Yang, Portland’s draft choice from last season, even stuffed Martin at the rim (the Raptors’ draft choice in a similar range). Then the Chinese big tipped in a putback to help ice the game.

The 905 were significantly outrebounded for a second consecutive game without Trayce Jackson-Davis and Jonathan Mogbo on assignment to help shore up the frontcourt duties. They may need to find a way to ameliorate the loss of Julian Reese, Olivier Sarr and David Roddy without assistance from players on standard NBA contracts if they’re going to make noise in the playoffs.

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