Javon Freeman Liberty continued his hot streak scoring 25 points to help the Raptors 905 (9-14) take down the Rip City Remix (12-9) 135-125 and extend their winning streak to four this past Tuesday.
Center Jontay Porter also came up huge for the 905 scoring 21 points on 7-of-15 shots from the field, which included knocking down five three-pointers. Porter also snagged seven rebounds and dished out seven assists.
The Raptors 905 looked to continue their momentum and extend their winning streak as they matched up against the Remix.
The first quarter was a battle of threes, with both teams shooting extremely well. Freeman-Liberty would make his presence known scoring seven points in the first quarter to help keep the 905 in the game. However, the 905 struggled to keep the Remix out of the paint and to stop them from beyond the arc. They would collapse too much from the drivers, leaving the red hot shooters wide open. The Rip City remix would make 7-out-of-11 three-pointers in the first quarter, shooting 64 percent from three.
The second quarter was more of the same story, 905 kept leaving the Remix shooters open with a lack of energy on defense as well. On offense, the 905 settled for threes, instead of using their size advantage and attacking the paint. The Remix’s defense would also force 905 to throw some sloppy turnovers leading to easy fastbreak points repeatedly. The 905 would start to see more success when Freeman-Liberty would attack the paint, using his shiftiness and speed to attack the paint, draw fouls, drop it off to Gueye or kick it out to open shooters. Gueye would lead the 905 scoring with 14 points on 100% shooting from the field. The Rip City Remix would lead the Raptors 905 68-62 at the half.
The Raptors 905 came out with a brand-new energy setting the tone with an early lob to Gueye. The 905 completely flipped the switch and mounted a comeback by knocking down some early three-pointers. They would also find more success by going back to what they saw success within the second, attacking the paint and kicking out for the three. They would find their stride from both inside the three and beyond the arc. The energy was also key for the 905 as they were hustling for the offensive boards and locking in on defence. The Rip City Remix had made 11 three-pointers in the first half, but the 905 shut it down in this quarter, locking the team down to just one made three in the entire third.
The 905 continued their momentum into the fourth, shooting the lights out while also not straying from attacking the paint anytime the Remix tried to mount their comeback. One of the best parts of this game was how great the Freeman-Liberty and Porter pick and pop was. It’s something that the Remix just did not have an answer for. They stayed locked in on defence, playing passing lanes and forcing turnovers. While Freeman-Liberty did have himself a game, the rest of the 905 came to play tonight with six other players scoring in double digits.
Javon-FreeHIM Liberty!
Congratulations to Javon Freeman-Liberty for being named Player of the Week for the G league!
Over the past week, Javon averaged 34 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists!
Take a look at his recent stat lines:
02/27 against the Rip City Remix: 25 points, 8 assists, 4 rebounds, 5 steals
02/24 against the Santa Cruz Warriors: 36 points, 6 assists, 8 rebounds, 5 steals
02/23 against the Santa Cruz Warriors: 37 points, 2 assists, 14 rebounds, 1 steal
02/15 against the Greensboro Swarm: 28 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds, 4 steals
These games all ended in wins for the 905.
Should I also mention that he is currently leading the G League in points per game at 24.3!
Javon Freeman-Liberty truly is something special and it’s great to see his game finally being noticed!
What’s next for the 905?
The Raptors 905 will look to continue to winning streak as they head on the road to take on the Windy City Bulls this Thursday at 7:00 PM!
