Windy City Bulls 98, Raptors 905 102 | Box Score
Two-ways: Jordan Loyd, Chris Boucher (905), Rawle Alkins, Brandon Sampson (Bulls)
Assignees: Malachi Richardson (905)
Jordan Loyd dropped his first career triple-double as the Raptors 905 won their matchup with the Windy City Bulls 102–98 in G League action on Saturday.
Falling down 14–3 early, the 905 defence was porous and lethargic. They shot just 29.2 per cent for the quarter, launching 13 threes and making just three of them. Malachi Richardson, in particular, had a tough start, isolating on most of his possessions and shooting 2–7 for five total points.
CJ Fair scored 15 for the Bulls alone, playing all 12 first quarter minutes.
With Windy City beginning to pull away to start the second quarter, head coach Jama Mahlalela called a timeout. Immediately afterward, new addition Josh Adams drained back-to-back threes, sparking a mini 8–0 spurt that breathed some life into the team. The offence from there improved, and the club began to move off-ball and rely less on isolations. Even so, the defence continued to suffer, resulting in a 56–46 deficit for the 905 at halftime.
“Yeah, unfortunately we’re there a lot, we’ve been there a few times, so it’s nothing new for us,” said Mahlalela of the 19-point deficit the team faced in the first half. “So we know how to fight back from adversity and I think that’s something we’re learning over the course of the season.”
Displaying said resilience, everything changed in the third quarter. The 905 quickly erased their deficit to the tune of feeding Chris Boucher in the pick-and-roll and on post-ups off of better ball movement. He dropped 16 in the quarter (he had just four points prior), and the team found itself down two with 12 minutes to play, the defence suddenly scrappy and the energy revitalized.
Bouncing back and forth, the fourth quarter was raucous, with neither team able to fully take control at any point, despite Boucher, Loyd, and Adams getting mostly whatever they wanted on offence. An overturned foul call on Richardson with 1:23 to go gave the 905 possession, and they never looked back as Loyd iced the game with a tough dagger near the baseline.
“I just wanted to try and get as close to the goal as could and then I wanted to try to bait him [Brandon Sampson] to get a foul,” Loyd said of the game-winning play. “I knew he was gonna jump if I pump-faked him. Got a little space, tried to draw the foul, and then, fortunately, knocked the shot down and kinda iced the game. It was not a great shot, I’m sure if I missed it I’d be hearing from Jama [Mahlalela], but fortunately it went in.”
Three players finished in double figures for the Bulls (Fair, Sampson, and Walter Lemon Jr.), with Fair leading the way with 23 points.
The 905 improve to 18–12 and are now 5–5 over their last 10 games. They’re also 7–9 at home, and still sit a game back from the Westchester Knicks for fourth in the East.
The 905 will play those same Knicks on Monday in New York at 7:00PM ET.
Notes
- Two-Way 905 Player Notes
- Chris Boucher scored 25 points, including 21 in the second half. Not only did he single-handedly take over the third quarter, but he also was the driving force, as per usual, on defence, patrolling the paint and erasing mistakes by perimeter defenders. He was everywhere.
- Jordan Loyd finished with a triple-double, scoring 24 points, snagging 17 rebounds, and dishing 11 assists. He was all over the floor during the course of this one, and he made some especially key plays in the fourth (including a nasty alley-oop connection with Boucher), nailing a dagger with 12.6 to go that sealed the game.
- Other 905 Player Notes
- Malcolm Miller looked solid in his second outing back. He played 18 minutes and did a bunch of the little things that won’t show in the box score. Miller set screens, kept the ball and himself moving, and was poised throughout the game.
- Malachi Richardson didn’t shoot the ball well (3–14), but he eventually recognized that his early isolations were hurting the team, and so he turned his attention to passing, finishing with six dimes and providing impressive offensive value that way.
- Josh Adams continued to look great for his new club. He scored 21 points off the bench on 9–15 shooting, and he was largely the only reason the margin was respectable at the half. Oh, and his athleticism, if you were wondering, is still insane.
- TICKET DISCOUNT
- Once again this year, the code REPUBLIC905 will get you a discount on Raptors 905 tickets. The 905 are next at home Jan. 30 at 11 a.m.
