Raptors 905 98, Iowa Energy 94 | Box Score
For just the second time in their existence, Raptors 905 have won back-to-back games. They made sure anyone who’s been following along all season ran the gamut of late-game collapse post-traumatic stress flashbacks, but they held on.
It didn’t seem like the 905 would need late-game theatrics when their lead swelled as large as 19 points early in the fourth quarter, but they’re a little bit Taking Back Sunday, a group of addicts for dramatics. The 905 have rarely won easy and often let leads or potential victories slip away late, losses that were considered learning opportunities, if not earnestly than out of necessity. The earnestness of those “when you lose, don’t lose the lesson” games was on display Monday, as the 905 bent as they have multiple times before, yet uncharacteristically refused to break.
In this endgame, there was clear progress. A growing maturity and poise. A greater trust in their series of tight losses to very good teams belying that this team is much better than their record, now 7-18, would suggest. The 905 had a lot of enemies, their lead trying to be drained by the Iowa Energy, and you know what, I’ll just stop being cute there. Seriously, the 905 closed out a tight game that saw them re-experience plenty of the things that have been their downfall in similar games in the past, and that has to feel terrific for head coach Jesse Mermuys and company.
Next time out, the goal will be to not let a 19-point lead slip away. That happened over the course of the fourth, with the Energy shooting 50 percent from the floor, hitting 3-of-5 from outside, and getting to the line 12 times. The 905 committed nine turnovers in the frame, a constant area of struggle for them, leading to 12 easy points. As has often been the case, that offensive carelessness made things tougher on what has established itself as a stout set defense.
With three minutes to play, the lead was still holding at 10. Anthony Bennett was fouled on a foray to the rim but after a long review, the foul was overturned and a jump-ball at half court was called. This was strange, and it seemed to take the 905, who had settled some after losing nine points off their lead, off of their game. The Energy took the tip, quickly missed a shot, but then drew a foul on the ensuing rebound. Bennett responded with an and-1, but then things started slipping.
An Energy triple. A missed Scott Suggs shot in the paint. A Delon Wright turnover. A silly Suggs foul in transition. A missed Suggs triple. An Andrew Harrison layup. The lead down to five with 1:10 to go, the team seemed on the precipice of the most 905 thing to happen yet this season. Wright dribbled out the clock, missed a runner high off window, and then the 905 got the offensive rebound, only for Bruno Caboclo to miss an open corner three. Caboclo then fouled out on a weak attempt to guard Lazeric Jones, and the lead was down to three.
Everything was teetering on the edge when Michael Holyfield was whistled for a weird technical foul trying to intentionally foul. Suggs hit the technical, then hit a pair when the intentional foul occurred, and the 905 had re-settled.
They closed it out from there, hanging on for a 98-94 victory. They never trailed by more than five and never at all outside of the first quarter, they won the rebounding battle, they shot better from the floor, and they played terrific defense over the first three quarters. The Energy shot 38.2 percent from the floor and 7-of-24 on threes, committing 16 turnovers of their own to the Raptors’ 19. It was close to a 48-minute, bell-to-bell victory, the second in a row for the 905. Considering this game against a 12-11 team, that has to be taken as really encouraging.
And sure, the 905 had three players on NBA assignment to one (James Ennis) for the Energy. But it’s not as if the Raptors’ assignees killed it. (Take that as a positive from the 905 perspective but a minor negative from the organizational perspective.
Coming off of his best game of the season, Caboclo turned in one of his worst, shooting 1-of-11 and fouling out in 31 minutes with a -21 plus-minus. That last number is a fickle one in single games, but in this case, it’s representative. The 905 were better off with Axel Toupane (10 points, nine rebounds, four assists) on the wing, as Caboclo struggled on defense and with turnovers (three). These games are to be expected from Caboclo, who is a long-term project and not someone coming down to work on a few specific things and improve his conditioning.
Bennett, on the other hand, was a bit disappointing after playing fairly well Saturday. He shot 4-of-13 for 12 points in 28 minutes, adding three rebounds, three steals, and two blocks. Poor shooting nights will happen, but the shot selection, which included a lot of pull-ups, was concerning, even when they worked.
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This is a guy who can get to the rim at will at this level and should be focusing on that area. Sure, he needs to knock down shots consistently to ever reach the ‘stretch four’ potential I think the Raptors see in him, but those are going to be catch-and-shoot looks, not shots off the bounce. If he’s going to put the ball on the floor, it should be to attack, not great a bit of space for a jumper.
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He did look pretty good off the ball on a few cuts, though one resulted in a ridiculous block.
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That doesn’t factor in to Bennett’s evaluation, I just couldn’t not use the highlight. OK, fine, to be fair, here’s a nice one Bennett had after getting beat for a defensive rebound.
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Across the two games in the last three days, Bennett’s been fine, mostly, but fine is also below expectations.
It certainly doesn’t help that he was next to Roberts, who turned in another good game (19-18-3-1-4) opposite his rebounding contemporary Alex Stephenson (13-16-0-1-3).
Who says Ronald Roberts is all athleticism? pic.twitter.com/j3TjC73ZpC
— Blake Murphy (@BlakeMurphyODC) January 19, 2016
Or that Wright once again looked solid offensively, scoring 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting with eight dimes (though he struggled with Harrison, a guard his size, a little bit on defense).
There’s still room for optimism, given how little Bennett’s played all year. The 905 play again Thursday, when they’ll look to win a third consecutive game for the first time this season. Bennett, if he’s still on assignment, will have another opportunity to show some growth and development which, of course, is the whole point. The 905 are finally making good from the lumps they took earlier in the year, and the Raptors have to hope Bennett can do the same.
