Capital City Go-Go Guard Hamidou Diallo’s 23-point double-double helped the Go-Go’s defeat the 905 Raptors 115-101 this past Saturday afternoon in G-league action.
The Raptors 905 (0-7) came into Saturday’s game after a three-game road trip, laser-focused as they looked to take down Capital City Go-Go (4-2) and snap their six-game losing streak. The 905 also had two new additions to the squad to help them secure the win, Guard Kobi Simmons and the Toronto Raptors rookie, Gradey Dick.
All eyes were on the Rookie from Kansas as he made his debut for the 905 Saturday afternoon. Dick struggled to get his offence going, only coming away from the game with two points, two rebounds and one assist. He also shot 1-12 from the field, and 0-6 from three. Even though his offence struggled, Dick still was doing the little things in the game, such as playing the passing lanes, poking loose balls, and finding the open man.
While Dick was frustrated at his performance, he knows that he came to the 905 to develop and grow and can’t let this game affect him going forward.
“It’s one of those things where you just shrug it and smile it off,” Dick said. “I would be lying if I said it wasn’t frustrating, but at the same time I’m not going to let that show for everyone to see because not only does that affect my next shot, but it’s going to affect my mental state.”
Raptors 905 head coach Eric Khoury spoke on the addition of Dick and what the 905 can help him bring to the Toronto Raptors.
“The big picture is for him to get runs playing the way he plays with the Raptors,” Khoury said. “Obviously an expanded role here, he’s going to take more shots, see the ball go through the rim, get up and down the court a bunch, open up the lungs, play 30 plus minutes a game and really just execute.”
Despite the addition of Gradey Dick, the 905 still suffered their seventh consecutive loss to Capital City. Even though this was a tough loss for the team, the 905 had some bright spots. Forward Ron Harper Jr. showed out for the team with 23 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Forward Mouhamadou Gueye also had an incredible game with 22 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks.
However, it seemed that Capital City was just too much to handle as they had six players in double figures. Leading the way for the Go-Go’s was Hamidou Diallo with 23 points, 10 rebounds and three assists.
After going down double digits in the first quarter, Capital City would come storming back in the second. It seemed like Capital City had an answer for everything the 905 would throw at them. The 905 struggled to get their 3-point shot going, only shooting 16.7 percent at the end of the second half. Foward Mouhamadou Gueye was one of the standouts for the Raptors, ending off the first half with eight points, four rebounds and four blocks. Capital City led the 905, 55-51 going into the second half.
The Raptors started to pick it back up in the third quarter, playing a slower tempo, executing better on their half-court offence, and hitting the shots they had when open. However, they weren’t as good on the defensive end. The team struggled to get stops, leaving shooters open and unable to stop Capital City when attacking the paint. To end off the third, Capital City led the Raptors 905, 85-79.
Going into the fourth the 905 needed to rally, buckle down and get some stops if they wanted to take the lead and go home with their first win. However, they just couldn’t find a way to stop Capital City. Giving up easy points in the paint and sloppy turnovers leading to quick buckets. Hamidou Diallo led all scorers with 23 points. Capital City Go-Go defeated the Raptors 905 115-101.
The 905 will return to action this Monday as they face off against the Capital City Go-Go’s once again.
