Nets take down the 905, despite Paige’s 36 points.

905 guard Jaysean Paige put up an impressive 36 points, but sadly couldn’t get the win as the Long Island Nets (6-4) defeated the Raptors 905 (1-10) 133-124

Paige was on fire this game, shooting an impressive 50 percent from the field on 13-26 shots. He also hit seven of his 13 three-pointers and picked up three assists and six rebounds in the process.

There were also four other 905 players in double digits. Guard Kevin Obanor dropped 25 points and 10 rebounds, and Guard Kobi Simmons was flowing as well with 22 points and seven assists.

The hero for the Nets tonight was Guard Keon Johnson, who scored 23 points on 7 of 15 shooting, grabbed six rebounds and secured three assists.

The Raptors 905 had a mountain to climb Thursday night as they only had 8 active players and 9 injured.

The 905 were rolling both offensively and defensive jumping out to an early double-digit lead against the Nets. They were firing on all cylinders as they were shooting an impressive 61 percent from the field and 42 percent from three. Both Obanor and Paige were red hot as well scoring 9 a piece going into the second.

905 also wasn’t slacking on the defensive end, playing passing lanes, contesting shots, and defending the paint. At the end of the first quarter, the Nets shot 45 percent from the field, 25 percent from three and had six total turnovers. The 905 led the Nets 33-22 to end the first quarter.

LET'S GOOOO @born_ready0 pic.twitter.com/XbO0bsRtVX
— Raptors 905 (@Raptors905) December 8, 2023

The Nets completely flipped the switch in the second quarter, coming out with more energy and fire than the first. Instead of settling for some jumpers, they chose to attack the 905 on the inside, constantly slashing and forcing their way back into the game. Patrick Gardner came up big for the Nets grabbing any offensive boards and immediately putting it back up, the 905 just didn’t have an answer for it.

The 905 seemed to just lose that spark they had in the first quarter, barely being able to get anything going. They would drop to shooting 42 percent from the field and 31 percent from beyond the arc. Nets led the 905 65-60 at the half.

It looked like more of the same for the 905 to begin the third as the Nets continued to extend the lead with a relentless offence. There were points where the team was just running layup lines on the 905, just uncontested buckets in the paint on consecutive possessions. However, with some big buckets from Paige, Forward Myles Burns, and Simmons, the 905 would start to fight their way back into the game. Nets led the 905 96-93 to end the third quarter.

Fun fact: Burns is a Marques Haynes Award winner, which is given annually to the player with the most steals across all divisions of college basketball! https://t.co/2nLqo97Ogx
— Raptors 905 (@Raptors905) December 8, 2023

Despite the 905’s best efforts to get back into this game, the Nets would find their footing and start to pull ahead. An 11-0 run from the nets a few minutes into the fourth helped keep the 905 at bay. The Nets just had an answer for everything the 905 would try to throw at them. Attacking the paint consistently was the Net’s bread and butter tonight. The Long Island Nets defeated the Raptors 905 133-124.

Injury Woes

The 905 had more players injured than active tonight. The list includes:

Mouhamadou Gueye (Neck Sprain)
Darryl Morsell (Left Ankle Sprain)
Omari Moore (Right Hand Fracture)
Ron Harper Jr. (Left Shoulder Strain)
Makur Maker (Left Hand Dislocation)
Jaylen Morris (Illness)
Javon Freeman-Liberty (Left Ankle)
Markquis Nowell (Rib Contusion)
Justise Winslow (Left Ankle)

With these many players out, the team had only 8 available players to choose from, some of those players even seeing big minutes for the first time. It was a chess match from the very beginning, the 905 had to play more conservatively and try not to run themselves into the ground early on. But it just seemed like as the game progressed, it was like a boxer who just had gotten walked down for 10 rounds. They looked exhausted and just couldn’t keep up.

Next up for the 905

The 905 have two days off until they travel to the Portland Expo Building this Sunday to take on the Maine Celtics at 1:00 PM.

Hopefully, the 905 can get some of its players back from injury and get back into the win column sooner rather than later.