Raptors 905 104, Lakeland Magic 118 | Box Score
Two-ways: Jordan Loyd (905), Troy Caupain, Amile Jefferson (Magic)
Assignment: Chris Boucher, Malcolm Miller (905), Melvin Frazier Jr. (Magic)
Raptors 905 dropped back-to-back games to finish the season with a loss on Saturday night to Lakeland Magic. The loss sets the 905 back to the fourth seed in the eastern conference with the NBA G League playoffs starting March 26th.
BJ Johnson scored a game-high 34 points for the Magic, and Jeremiah Hill added 22 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists.
Chris Boucher scored a team-high 26 points and 11 rebounds for the 905. Four more players finished in double-digits, including Malcolm Miller (17), Jordan Loyd (16), Duane Notice (14) and Josh Adams (12).
After squandering a 16-point second half lead less than 24 hours ago against the same Magic club, the 905 got off to a quick 10-3 start forcing Lakeland to call timeout less than three minutes into the game.
The 905 hovered around an 11-point lead for most of the first half, but Lakeland once again went on a run and great ball movement by the Magic on one possession led to a Troy Caupain 3-pointer, cutting the 905 lead to 47-41 with 5:03 left in the half. A pair of free throws and a 3-pointer by Johnson followed by another 3-pointer from Gabe York completed an 11-2 run to tie the game at 49-49.
With less than two minutes remaining, Caupain drove down the lane for a floater, giving the Magic their first lead of the game. The 905 headed into the locker room trailing 56-54. Johnson led all scorers at the half with 16 points.
The 905 made adjustments coming into the second half, starting Christian Watford (a DNP-CD yesterday) in the third quarter over MiKyle McIntosh, but Lakeland jumped out to an early 63-58 lead. After drawing an airball from long-range, Watford came back the next possession and made a trey midway through the third quarter to give the 905 lead once again at 71-69.
Lakeland went on a 7-0 run to open the fourth quarter, making way for another lead change in the game and forcing the 905 to call a timeout after an and-1 layup play by Jay Wright.
With 5:06 remaining in the game, Boucher pump faked a 3-pointer then drove down a wide open lane for a dunk, cutting the lead to 97-95. Boucher kept his foot on the pedal, sinking a shot from downtown to keep the score in check at 102-98 with under three minutes left in the season.
But the Magic kept pouring on, and back-to-back dagger 3-pointers from Braian Angola-Rodas and Hill helped Lakeland break into its first double-digit lead of the game.
With tonight’s win for Lakeland, the Magic achieved a franchise-high 32 regular season wins. The 905 now will wait and see who their first round opponent will be (single-elimination). The earliest playoff start date is March 26th.
Notes:
- 905 Two-Way Notes
- Jordan Loyd finished with 16 points (5-9 FG, 1-2 3-PT, 5-5 FT), 12 assists, 5 rebounds and 2 steals. Loyd has been making tough one-on-one shots in this mini-series against the Magic, and tonight he sank a turnaround 3-pointer on one possession in the first half with John Petrucelli draped all over him. Tonight’s double-double makes it his 8th of the season.
- 905 Assignment Notes
- Chris Boucher scored 26 points (9-17 FG, 3-10 3-PT, 5-5 FT), 11 rebounds and 2 blocked shots tonight. This was Boucher’s 18th double-double of the season. Boucher has looked a bit more explosive running the floor and driving in recent games, and he had a couple of good drive-and-kick sequences, where although the shooters (Duane Notice and Malcolm Miller in these instances) couldn’t convert, it shows Boucher’s ability to draw defenders with his quickness and create perimeter opportunities for his teammates. Although he only made 3 of 10 from distance tonight, he knocked two contested 3-pointers in the third quarter that shows the advantage in length that he carries.
- Malcolm Miller finished with 17 points (7-11 FG, 2-3 3-PT, 1-1 FT), 4 rebounds and 2 steals tonight. Miller showed explosiveness driving past his defender down the key for a dunk early in the first quarter and also made a nice Rajon-Rondo-one-arm-fake to draw an and-1 play late in the same period.
- Magic Two-Way Notes
- Troy Caupain scored 7 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists. Prior to tonight, Caupain averaged 16.6 points, 5.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists with the Magic.
- Amile Jefferson Scored 8 points along with 6 rebounds after not playing for the Magic in yesterday’s contest. Prior to tonight, Jefferson averaged 18.3 points, 11.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists this season.
- Vipers Assignment Notes
- Melvin Frazier Jr. had a quiet night, scoring only 4 points off of 2 of 8 shooting. Frazier Jr. also added 6 rebounds and 3 assists. The first-year forward averaged 12.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists through 17 games with Lakeland.
- Admin note
- The 905 play again at home on Sunday. Raptors Republic readers can get a discount on tickets using the code REPUBLIC905.
