Raptors 905 108, Wisconsin Herd 101 | Box Score
Assignees: Christian Wood (Herd)
Two-ways: Chris Boucher, Jordan Loyd (905), Trevor Duval (Herd)
Raptors 905 improved to 11-3 on Friday night and remained perfect on the road this season as they withstood a close battle with Wisconsin Herd to win 108-101.
Rodney Pryor beat his season-high set two days ago with 22 points, while Duane Notice added 20 points and 5 assists. Chris Boucher scored 11 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter after picking up three fouls in the opening frame.
The 905 did not have an answer for Herd assignee Christian Wood as he scored a game-high 33 points, 16 rebounds and 4 blocked shots. Travis Trice II chipped in with 19 points along with 4 assists in his first game back since leading Team U.S.A. in qualifying for the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
The Herd did not look like a team with a 1-11 record at the start, as they came into the game dictating the pace with confidence to jump out to an early 14-7 lead.
The G League Player of the Month would be tested early in the game as Boucher was up against another athletic big in Wood. In only his fifth game with Wisconsin this season, Wood had been putting up stats comparable to Boucher, averaging 22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.0 blocks coming into tonight’s matchup.
The Herd ran isolation plays for Wood in the post, and the undersized-Boucher got into foul trouble early in the quarter, picking up two with less than six minutes into the game. 905 head coach Jama Mahlalela would leave Boucher in the game, and the team would suffer for that decision later on as another whistle went against Boucher on an over-the-back call with 5:16 still left in the opening frame.
But as Boucher was sidelined, Pryor came into the game with an energetic performance. He hit back-to-back 3-pointers and would be a perfect three of three from the field to help close the quarter with a 28-23 905 lead.
Wood would continue to be a difficult assignment for the 905, as reserve big Khadeem Lattin picked up three quick fouls of his own in the second quarter while defending the 6-10 forward. Mahalela threw Christian Watford on Wood on one possession, which resulted in one of many posterizing dunks of the night.
The 905 headed into the fourth quarter with a one-point lead. Boucher shook his head as he made his first 3-pointer of the game with 8:48 remaining, putting the 905 ahead 88-85. He would hit two more 3-pointers in the quarter and the 905 would go on a 14-4 run to give themselves a double-digit with the game winding down.
As the 905 continue to move towards the top of the standings, the Herd now drop to 1-12 this season and become the last-placed team in the league.
Notes
- Two-Way 905 Player Notes
- Boucher and Loyd had relatively quiet scoring nights. Loyd scored 12 points but flirted with a triple double, recording 8 rebounds and 9 assists. Boucher scored 19 points and had 7 rebounds along with 3 blocked shots. This was probably the first time this season Boucher was really tested, going up against another athletic big in Wood. The Herd looked to isolate Boucher throughout the game in the post and on the baseline, and Wood was able to convert on many of those plays finishing the game scoring 13 of 25 attempts.
- Other 905 Player Notes:
- Rodney Prior joined the 905 five games ago and has looked like an incredible fit. His ability to drive is benefitted from his size and speed, and he looks to make big shots. Pryor scored 8 of his 22 points in the fourth, including a dagger 3-pointer to give the 905 a double digit lead late in the game.
- Herd Notes:
- Wood notched double-double by the end of the first half, and ended with a ridiculous line of 33 points, 16 rebounds and 4 blocked shots. Tonight was his fifth game with the Herd this season. Wood has played six games with Milwaukee Bucks in the 2018-19 campaign, averaging 4.2 points and 2.7 rebounds per game.
