Raptors 905 120, Westchester Knicks 112 (OT) | Box Score
Raptors 905 ran the full gamut of D-League experiences on Friday, ultimately beating the Westchester Knicks 120-112 in overtime to extend their franchise-record winning streak to four games.
Winning a tough road game in overtime against the division’s top team is a major accomplishment for a team that was without them for so long and is now piling them up. Looking strictly at the outcome, this was a big positive, filled with a lot of smaller positives at the individual level.
At the same time, the game requiring overtime would have seemed crazy as late as the 8:54 mark of the fourth quarter, when the 905 led by 20 points. The 905 requiring an extra three minutes to close out a game they were in such control of is a minor disappointment, but an understandable bump on the path to “learning how to win,” a common refrain during the team’s earlier losing days. They’d been here before, surrendering large leads down the stretch, and they’d let the slide continue for losses. Friday was similar, with eight fourth-quarter turnovers handing over 13 points and some serious defensive slippage letting the Knicks get hot, when set or in transition.
The proceedings hit their bleakest in the closing three minutes of regulation. Norman Powell turned the ball over, leading to a Thanasis Antetokounmpo dunk. The 905 had a shot-clock violation, and Travis Trice (real name, no gimmicks) responded with a mid-range jumper. Powell missed a long two late in the clock and Trice was fouled on the rebound, breaking a tie and putting the Knicks up one. Again, this is where the 905 are used to breaking. The sides traded buckets, the 905 got a stop down one with a chance to win, and Powell once again lost the handle, leading to a jump ball.
If the wills of the players were ever to be tested, what happened next was that test: Powell won the jump, only for the ball to find its way out of bounds. Jimmer Fredette sunk a pair of free throws, and the Raptors were stuck three with 8.1 seconds to go.
For a team that’s traveled a long road to find a tipping point at which their improvements would lead to wins, this was pretty big. The team’s late-game execution has struggled all season, the players were tightening up as a result of turnovers, and neither of the three NBA players on assignment are big 3-point threats.
It’s fitting, then, that the changed ways of the 905 continued, with Bruno Caboclo taking a hand off for a clutch, game-tying 3-pointer.
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Powell blocked a late Knicks heave, sending the game to overtime. In the extra frame, the 905 took care of business, with Ronald Roberts, who had a bit of an off night to that point, scoring 10 points and grabbing four rebounds to lead the way (he finished with 20 and 14, and he emphatically rejected [Darion] Atkins because carbs are the best).
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That gives the 905 four straight victories, three of them on the road, against teams with a combined 53-48 record (double-counting the Knicks here). The 905 now find themselves at 9-18, a fairly respectable mark for a very young expansion team, and they’re out of the league’s basement. They’re up to 16th in net rating, 15th in offense, and, despite the shaky night at that end Friday, 10th in defense.
Unlike the third victory in the streak, the 905 once again had players on assignment to help the cause.
Caboclo had a strong shooting night, hitting 5-of-6 from outside on his way to 19 points, six rebounds, two assists, and two blocks. He’s still a little awkward passing off the bounce, but he’s making better reads and attacking the rim more aggressively.
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That’s a nice pass to Powell there and just two possessions later, Powell would return the favor.
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Powell’s creation for teammates was a major story in the game and a large focus of his development right now. He dished five dimes, and while he had a ludicrous 11 turnovers, you take the bad with the good while he’s working on that part of his game. Powell’s talked about improving his reads and decision making, and those aren’t things that are going to come in a game. They took DeMar DeRozan years to master and he still gets occasional tunnel-vision. The turnover numbers is unsightly, but the encouragement from the plays Powell made outweigh any discouragement from the turnovers (it is the D-League, after all).
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He also finished with a game-high 30 points, shooting 12-of-17 from the floor and even adding a triple. It’s well-established at this point that Powell’s ability to get to the rim is far too advanced for D-League defenders, and he made great use of his athleticism Friday.
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The other assignee was Lucas Nogueira, and you’d be forgiven if you forgot. He scored eight points with seven rebounds and four assists in 23 minutes but was ineffective defensively, picking up five fouls and showing late on his help at the rim on a few occasions. It’s possible he just needed to shake some rust off or get his confidence back, but the 905 were markedly better with Sim Bhullar (16 points, five rebounds, and, most encouraging, heavy minutes on both ends of a back-to-back) on the floor. Still, Nogueira’s passing is a delight, one few bigs can match.
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The 905 had 25 assists as a team (just off their 27 turnovers, hooray!), helping lead to a 61.5-percent mark from the floor. The ball flowed more freely than it normally does, and while the turnovers remain a serious and persistent issue, the 905 occasionally looked like they were a D-League affiliate of the Spurs.
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Things continue to move in the right direction, even if that journey isn’t linear. For anyone doubting the process at play, this four-game winning streak should be a reinforcement of what’s going on. If it fades, that’s fine, too, because the program isn’t measured by wins and losses. Caboclo hitting a game-tying three to send a game into overtime and then three Raptors getting run in a successful overtime scenario? That’s the kind of stuff that could really pay off down the line.
The 905 play again on Monday in Grand Rapids, a game that was bumped from Sunday on account of bad weather.
