Photo by MattAzevedo.com
Raptors 905 (28-9) def. Rio Grande Valley Vipers (23-15); 104-93 | Box Score
Assignees: Bruno Caboclo (905). Kyle Wiltjer (Vipers). Chinanu Onuaku (Vipers). Isaiah Taylor (Vipers).
After a leaky first quarter in which the Raptors 905 allowed 32 points, they locked down and limited the Rio Grande Valley Vipers to just 61 the rest of the way to win 104-93 and move to a conference-best 28-9 on the season.
Trailing by eight heading into the break, the 905 came out focused and determined to protect their home floor.
Leading the way was John Jordan, who notched 12 points, six assists, and four rebounds. He was a floor general on offence, and a constant pest on the defensive end. His intensity really seemed to spark the others, and this is easily his best stretch of the season on the heels of a double-double in the previous game.
With Delon Wright and Fred VanVleet firmly in the parent club’s plans for the remainder of the season as a result of Kyle Lowry’s surgery, this is a great opportunity for both Brady Heslip and Jordan to make the most of consistent roles.
After the struggles the 905 endured to start each half of their previous game, head coach Jerry Stackhouse reverted back to a more familiar starting five. With Heslip, E.J. Singler, and Edy Tavares reinserted into the lineup, there was far better spacing on offer than their previous game. Bruno Caboclo and Singler opened the scoring for the 905 with threes, before CJ Leslie tacked on a couple of finishes inside.
It was all Vipers after that early flurry though, as the 905 finished the first quarter down 32-20. Gary Payton II looked good early on, stroking it from the outside with a smooth lefty jumper. Not so smooth was E.J. Singler, who despite clearly having the green light from the outside, only connected on two of his first eight field goal attempts. He finished the night just 4-of-16 from the field, and 3-for-10 from downtown.
The 905 were aggressive on both ends in the second quarter, but the referees seemed reluctant to acknowledge it. The foul count by the end of the half was 11-3, and CJ Leslie in particular just could not buy a call on his post-ups. To his credit, he never let the frustration show, always getting back on defence without any words for the officials. He finished the night with 20 points and nine rebounds, continuing his hot stretch over the last six games.
The Mississauga squad really struggled from the outside in the first half, going 6-of-21 from distance.
Heslip, who went 1-for-6 from the outside in the first half, hit three straight triples early in the second half as part of an 11-2 run that cut a 12-point deficit down to three. This was the turning point for the 905, and it just seemed as though it was a matter of time before they took control of the game.
Another aspect that helped the 905 take control was the turn of the whistle. After the Vipers were only called for four fouls through three quarters, the 905 were able to draw 10 fouls in the fourth quarter and seal their sixth straight win.
After struggling more than half the game, Edy Tavares came to life and finished the game with 10 points, 10 rebounds, and five blocked shots. Antwaine Wiggins, who has been playing great for the past month, gave the 905 a lift off the bench with 10 rebounds, and added a key bucket in transition as well as one huge fourth-quarter swat.
Bruno, who had one of his more efficient games offensively, picked his spots and was excellent defensively once again. He pulled down seven boards, and even got a little feisty with the referees after a questionable foul call.
I was interested to see how Kyle Wiltjer would fair after dropping 40 in his previous game that included an outrageous 7-for-19 from three-point range. He racked up a double-double by halftime and finished the night with 23 points and 15 rebounds, but shot just 8-for-23 from the field.
The 905 have been winning in bunches this season, and its a testament to Stackhouse’s staff’s preparedness and ability to get the most out of his players on a nightly basis.
Notes:
- After missing a few weeks with a hamstring injury, Will Sheehey finally got back in action tonight and played 21 minutes for his nine points.
- Isaiah Taylor signed a three-year non-guaranteed deal with the Houston Rockets today, and was assigned back down to the Vipers after.
- The 905 will take on the Northern Arizona Suns next on Wednesday, March 1st, at 8:30pm EST.
