Raptors 905 (13-7) def. Fort Wayne Mad Ants (13-6); 114-100 | Box Score
Assignees: Fred VanVleet, Bruno Caboclo (905), Georges Niang (Mad Ants)
Axel Toupane scored 23 points and Edy Tavares chipped in 17 points and nine rebounds to lead the Raptors 905 to a much needed victory over the first-place Fort Wayne Mad Ants and put an end to a three-game losing streak while moving to 6-0 on the road.
Reigning Coach of the Month Jerry Stackhouse inserted a flu-free Axel Toupane into the starting lineup to inject some life into the team, and while his aggression had a positive impact right from the tip, the apparent lid on the basket prevented the team from having anything to show for it in the first quarter. There were good looking three-point attempts that rimmed out and layups that just wouldn’t fall. They started 4-20 from the field and 1-of-6 from the outside, but it could have been much different if the wide open looks fell. This wasn’t the labouring offense of the past few games.
After opening the contest with a corner three, Bruno had both a shot from the corner and the left elbow go in-and-out. He was active everywhere else as well in the first quarter; looking to mix it up on the glass, lead the break, and had a nice play where he gave up a good look at a corner three for a great straight-on look for Antwaine Wiggins. He even had a play where he dumped a lefty bounce pass behind his back to Edy Tavares in the post while on the drive.
He made some mistakes in the second quarter, but his demeanor and consistent activity throughout the game was definitely a positive. He leaned towards his jump shot a little too often as far as his own offense was concerned tonight, and this may have had something to do with not wanting to drive at a Mad Ants team that played small for most of the game.
The development of Tavares as a viable option offensively has been quite interesting to watch as well. Blake noted his increased involvement in the previous recap, and his 11 first-half shot attempts didn’t come via tip-ins. It’s a very old-school formula of inside-out basketball that Stackhouse may be reverting to with the outside shot still such a struggle. They were 2-of-13 from three in the first half, and to miss so many clean looks was not a great sign considering how cold they had already been coming in.
The Mad Ants rubbed salt in the 905’s outside woes by having five different guys combine to knock down nine of their 17 three-point attempts in the first half. They may called him Trey, but McKinney-Jones was knocking down everything within the arc for 21 of his 28 points on 7-of-9 shooting and just one hit from the outside. It all added up to a 53-52 lead for the Mad Ants at half.
With the 905 finding some momentum to end the first half with their starters back in the game, it was great to see them ride it into the second half as well. They outscored the Mad Ants 62-47 in the second half, with VanVleet finally getting in on the action and leading a balanced attack. After starting the game out 0-for-4, he finished with 20 points and six assists, easing the load on Toupane. After fatigue was possibly an issue in the previous game against the Canton Charge, and a slow start tonight, finding his stroke will be a nice relief.
The Mad Ants on the other hand, went cold from the outside, hitting just 6-of-24 from downtown after their hot first half. Assignee Georges Niang was the only one that had it going all night, and was really impressive for his 23 points, 12 boards, and four assists. He scored 16 points in 12 minutes for the Pacers earlier in the preseason, and showed why with a consistent outside stroke that was good for five triples and then using the shot fake to beat people off the drive.
Yanick Moreira, Jarrod Uthoff, Brady Heslip, E.J. Singler, and Will Sheehey all made solid contributions off the bench, combining 46 points, 30 rebounds, and 10 assists. That is a serious contribution coming from your second unit. Whether it was Uthoff stroking it from the outside while also mixing it up inside for his 14 points, or Moreira battling his way to 13 boards, the 905 showed some strong determination to make sure the losing stop here in Fort Wayne.
After the 905 took control with a lead as large as 19 with 6:21 to play, the 905 got pretty sloppy as the Mad Ants ramped up their defensive pressure. The lead got to as low as six, but the Mad Ants couldn’t hit from the outside to cut any closer.
Coach Stackhouse talked about how the three-game losing skid was an opportunity to see what this team is really made of, and they answered it in spades tonight against the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Momentum can be a tricky thing, so the 905 may actually be glad they’re back at it again tomorrow night.
Notes:
- A little surprising that VanVleet and Caboclo weren’t called back up to join the senior squad in Chicago, but perhaps the quick flight back to Toronto for Sunday’s tilt against Houston meant they’re better served getting minutes for the 905 both tonight and tomorrow.
- The Mad Ants entered tonight’s contest with the highest offensive rating in the D-League, and have five guys that averaging between 13.1 and 19.1 points per game. You can see why, as they do a great job sharing the ball and creating open looks for each other.
- Your boy Julyan Stone started for the Mad Ants in this one. He wasn’t good. Got blocked by Bruno on a layup attempt too.
- After a Bruno buried a second-half trey with no hesitation, you could hear Stackhouse yell out, “That’s what you do Bru! That’s what you do!” Coach Stack lives and dies with every moment for this team, and it’s awesome.
- After Jarrod Uthoff picked up the DNPCD last time out, it was CJ Leslie’s turn tonight. The Mad Ants had a Leslie of their own missing as well, with Travis Leslie not seeing any court time.
- Antwaine Wiggins started the game but Stackhouse turned to E.J. Singler to start the third.
- The 905 play the second game of a back-to-back tomorrow night against the Windy City Bulls. Tip-off is at 8:00pm EST.
