Raptors 905 106, Greensboro Swarm 107| Box Score
Assignees: Bruno Caboclo (905), None (Swarm)
Two-ways: Malcolm Miller (905), Charles Cooke [via Pelicans], Jalen Jones [via Pelicans], Mangok Mathiang, Marcus Paige (Swarm)
The Raptors 905 put in a far better effort against the Greensboro Swarm than the last time around (wherein they lost by .19 points on November 20th), though the team still came up short, losing in overtime.
The 905 started cold, missing jumper after jumper as the Swarm jumped out to a 13-3 lead. Malcolm Miller was the lone bright spot; in the first half, the 905 were paced almost completely by Malcolm Miller. You can consider his injury behind him, as he scored 23 points before the break on 7/8 shooting, including 3/4 from deep. Kaza Keane started at point guard in place of Lorenzo Brown, who was with the parent club. Keane played magnificently, finishing with 9 assists in the first half. His driving and dishing opened the lanes for several recipients, including a pair of Bruno Caboclo 3s in the 2nd quarter.
A new addition to the 905 – Fuquan Edwin – was able to score his first points in the first quarter on free throws. Though he only 4 points in the game on sizeable run in 24 minutes, you can expect his role to increase. The team is high on his shooting and especially defense; the 905 cut Canadian Richard Amardi to make room for Edwin.
Miller’s jump-shooting was nearly matched by Marcus Paige in the second quarter, who began cooking from all over towards the end of the frame. His 3-pointer with 2 minutes remaining tied the game at 48; the 905 took a lead of 54-53 into the break.
The third quarter belonged to the 905. Miller and Shevon Thompson – who finished with a dominant 17 points and 12 rebounds – chipped in 6 points each. The defense was especially impressive, as the 905 took an 11 point lead into the final quarter.
The 905’s usually-stringent defense fell apart in the last quarter, as the Swarm put up 33 points. Archie Goodwin (remember him?) especially dominated in the paint, scoring what seemed like an endless number of layups to pull the Swarm back into the game. The 905 were winning by 9 points with only 2:23 to play, but the wheels fell off. The 905 missed shots and turned the ball over with a vengeance to allow Goodwin out into transition several times towards the end of regulation.
Turnovers in the backcourt, failed inbound passes: the 905 allowed the Swarm to tie the game through their own mistakes. A game-winning 3 from Marcus Paige was airballed (or blocked by Keane, depending on your point of view), and the teams were left with 2:00 of overtime.
The 905 defense was locked in. They forced multiple turnovers from Goodwin and a missed shot from Paige. The Swarm managed only 2 points. Sadly the 905 only put up 1 through a made free throw from Marcus Miller. The last few moments provided some excitement: Kaza Keane missed a jumper to win, and Kennedy Meeks was unable to finish his putback with under 1 second on the clock.
Despite the loss, the 905 have a few aspects of the game to be proud of. They managed to play well on offense despite missing Lorenzo Brown, who is the alpha and omega for the 905 on that side of the court. Kaza Keane especially created well for his teammates, but it helps to have a guy like Malcolm Miller making everything that leaves his hands.
Notes
- Assignment notes
- Bruno Caboclo had a game. He finished with 24 points on just 15 attempted shots (4/10 on 3). He had 3 blocks but fouled out in overtime. When he’s hot, he looks great. He needs to find a way to be a G-League all-star even when his shot isn’t falling.
- Other 905 player notes: Keane is awesome and can provide more for the 905 than he has been thus far been asked to. When they’ve put the ball in his hands (other than in the 4th and overtime), he has delivered either for himself or others…Malcolm Miller is fully and completely back. After a previous season high of 18 on the 13th, he dropped a ridiculous 32 tonight. Blake has been banging the drum for a while about how good he is, and it’s starting to look pretty clever of him to have said so.
- Swarm notes: The 905 held Jalen Jones to just 2 points after he put up 134 last time they played (or something). That’s gotta feel good.
- The 905 are on the road again on Saturday for the back-to-back, and Davion Berry will return from a mysterious two-game suspension. They’ll return to the friendly confines of Hershey on the 18th. A reminder that promo code “REPUBLIC905” will get you a discount at this link all season long.
