Raptors 905 drop important game to last-placed Herd

According to head coach Drew Jones, the Raptors 905 approached Thursday morning’s game against the Wisconsin Herd like it was a playoff game. That’s been their mantra of late.

“Our mentality is, use every moment, every practice, every game, to prepare for the playoffs. So, you’ll see a playoff atmosphere,” Jones said before tip.

But the 905 have had a volatile stretch, both in terms of performance and personel, and concerning tendencies have surfaced that they’ll want out of their system when the one-and-done G League postseason gets underway at the end of the month.

It was a disastrous first quarter for the 905 against the last-placed Herd on Thursday. The 905 found themselves down 36-16 early in the second, and mostly off badly missed shots and defensive lapses. On the first possession – and many throughout the early going – the 905 worked to play with the 0.5 principles consistently preached throughout the organization. They weaved through handoffs on the perimeter, followed their passes with screens, and got Jarkel Joiner downhill for a kick out to Alijah Martin. But the clock was almost out, so when he sidestepped and hit a triple, it left his hand milliseconds after the the buzzer.

Similar to the Toronto Raptors, ball movement is extra important for the 905 to get quality looks, which is why one of the habits Jones has been emphasizing is “Offensively is continuing to play a 0.5 mentality. Keep that ball spraying, keep them moving. With the pieces we have on the floor, the only time teams can beat us is when we’re stagnant. So just encouraging our guys to keep that thing moving, allow the ball to stay ahead of the defence.”

The 905 uncharacteristically smoked layups and bricked 3s while the Herd’s shots seemed magnetized to the mesh in comparison. It was hand down man down for AJ Hoggard on a Wisconsin corner triple. They also outscored the 905 8-2 on the break over the first frame; Tyreke Key ran out but was caught with an emphatic swat.

The 905 won the possession battle – plus-one on the offensive glass and plus-three in turnovers, but shot only 7-of-24 from the floor and 0-of-5 from 3. Meanwhile Wisconsin finished almost everything in the paint, going 9-of-14 from 2 and also 3-of-8 from downtown. By the end of the game the 905 had a plus-nine turnover margin and had taken 14 more shots, but still weren’t able to turn those into enough points.

They mounted an admirable rally from down 15 in the third quarter, and for most of the fourth it appeared the 905 would complete the comeback, but they were ultimately burned by their lacklustre start and fell 106-104.

It appeared the 905 would have clinched a home playoff game had they won, as they own the tiebreaker over the fifth-placed Motor City Cruise and for a potential three-way tie involving the Cruise and Cleveland Charge. They’ll have another chance against the Herd in the final regular-season game on Saturday.

The 905 also lost a very winnable game when they unravelled late on the second night of a back-to-back to finish their most recent road trip, blowing a 22-point third-quarter lead to the Rip City Remix. Add that they’ve had a constant flux of availability from fringe NBA players Jonathan Mogbo and Trayce Jackson-Davis and the 905 appear to be in a precarious position.

The second frame against Wisconsin was played close to even, and what life the 905 found came in the form of physicality. Tyson Degenhart sealed his defender early and backed him into the basket. Tyrese Samuel played up at the five, using well timed leaps and every inch of his length to outwork his larger opposition and tip back multiple offensive boards. He also received a laydown from Martin for an easy dunk and had a pair of blocks, including a nice recovery to the dunker spot. Degenhart and Samuel led the 905 with eight points apiece at half and combined for 17 of the team’s 28 rebounds. A couple big boys packing the lunch pale and going to work.

“I didn’t think it was a size advantage,” said Jones of Samuel. “Since he’s been with us he’s held his own. He’s rebounded the ball, he’s screened, he’s been a force for us. So I don’t think he was overmatched at all.”

Samuel finished with a 14-point, 14-rebound double-double and Degenhart scored 16 adding seven rebounds and three dimes.

Martin was hyper-aggressive guarding Mark Sears, bumping him hard and continuously swiping at the ball. He ultimately fouled him in the paint and gave the Alabama guard an earful after, but Sears only pointed up at the scoreboard that read 52-34 in response. Sears ultimately led Wisconsin with 33 points on 10-of-19 shooting and added 11 boards and five assists.

Following what’s become somewhat of a pattern, the 905 cranked up the defensive urgency to start the second half, jump starting the comeback effort. They smothered the Herd and forced a shot clock violation out of the gate, with Degenhart pinning Sears in the corner as time ran out. Then Boise State’s all-time leading scorer banged a triple from the top of the floor going the other way. Most of Degenhart’s offence has come in the form play finishing this season – catch-and-shoot 3s, driving closeouts, finishing cuts – and he’s done it marvellously, to the tune a 64.8 true shooting percentage. He showed a little more against the Herd though, catching and initiating contact from Jeremiah Tilman with an upfake to draw a one-for-two free throw – which he canned.

Degenhart and Samuel – each listed at six-foot-eight – switched to shutdown a ball screen and force a tough floater and Degenhart hit another triple.

AJ Lawson burst onto the scene after largely being dormant for the first half, splashing a triple of his own and playing dogged pressure defence, resulting in a rushed Herd turnover. Lawson was beat by his man but tipped the pass to the roller out of bounds while recovering in pursuit. The Mississauga-based squad kept piling on the extra shooting possessions, and started making more of those extra shots as the game went on. Five-of-eight in third. Key banged one from the wing to cap a 31-15 run and give the 905 a one-point lead. Paramount was packed to the gills with kids for a school day game and the place was about to pop (I’m never doing this again without earplugs).

The fourth quarter was neck and neck. Key and Sears traded line-drive layups. Martin drove wildly and turned the ball over, which was a problem in this game, but recovered by going hard baseline for a tough reverse.

A transition corner 3 by Herd guard Stephen Thompson Jr. tied the game with three minutes left.

Jarkel Joiner grabbed a steal and ran out for a finger roll. Soon after a Sears 3 knotted the score again. Martin knocked down a catch-and-shoot from up top. The 905 ran Horns Gut Chicago with a two-point lead and 30 seconds left. Martin kicked to Key, who attempted to find Lawson as he spaced to the wing, but they misread each other, Lawson drifted too far and Key threw it behind him and out of bounds. Thompson nailed a triple going the other way for a one-point Herd lead. Joiner drove for a layup, which he’d had success with in this game, getting to the rim for three previously, but he was denied when it mattered most. Wisconsin grabbed the board and it was time for the foul game.

Martin got one more chance to tie on the final possession as he curled a screen downhill but again the 905 were stuffed emphatically. He finished with only 11 points on 5-of-16 shooting but also had 11 rebounds and five stocks. A grind-it-out kind of night.

The 905 need to problem solve fast to beat the Herd on Saturday and lock down home court. And that’s only a small first step.

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