Makur Maker showed out with a 19-point double-double to help the Raptors 905 (13-21) take down the Motor City Cruise (16-18) 109-104 this past Friday Night.
Forward Darryl Morsell was also huge for the 905 with an impressive stat line of 21 points, five rebounds, three assists, three steals, and two blocks.
The Raptors 905 looked to close out their season with a victory against Motor City.
The first quarter was fantastic for the 905 with Markquis Nowell leading the offence. Nowell took command of the offence and was able to create for others effortlessly. Right off the bat, he was able to find the cutting Moore for an easy score. He sliced through the Cruise’s defence and found the open man play after play. The 905 would jump out to an early 10-2 lead thanks to the playmaking work of Nowell and their stellar on-ball defence. However, the Cruise would start to fight their way back, forcing turnovers, and converting on their fastbreak points. The 905 managed to stay ahead by attacking Motor City’s paint, drawing fouls, and converting the tough layups. The 905 end off the first quarter leading 33-26.
The second quarter started just like the first with a beautiful Markquis dish. Nowell would penetrate the paint and dump it off for an easy score. The 905 continued to play great defence to start the second as well, Makur Maker would get a huge block and surprisingly throw a lob in transition, showing off both sides of his game. However, it seemed like as the quarter went on the 905’s energy on defence started to decline. They would struggle to stop shooters, wouldn’t close out on time, and just outright leave them open. The 905 managed to weather the Cruise’s storm by converting some tough and-ones and drawing fouls.
The 905 lead 60-58 at halftime, with Makur leading the scoring for the team with 12 points and eight rebounds.
The third quarter was all Motor City. Ryan Turell proved to be a problem for the 905 to handle as he started the quarter hitting back-to-back shots. It got to a point where it looked like any shot that he wanted out there, he was going to get. The 905 was struggling to convert from beyond the arc, which allowed the Cruise to stay in this game and ultimately take a small lead. Motor City would continue to hit three-pointers and take advantage of the 905’s defence which wasn’t looking as good as it was in the first quarter. The 905 did mount a small comeback at the end of the third by stepping up on defence, and finally knocking down a three.
The final game of the 905’s season all came down to the fourth quarter. They would go back to what was bringing them success early on in the fourth which was attacking the paint and drawing fouls. They also started to knock down more threes which was seriously hindering them in the earlier quarters. The 905 also picked back up their defensive energy, hustling for the boards, rotating, and closing out on shooters. The fourth quarter was something out of a 12-round heavyweight fight as both teams kept trading blows. However, it was the 905 that came out on top as Nowell forced a turnover in the final minutes, and Makur would hit the three that put them ahead.
The Raptors 905 took down the Motor City Cruise 109-104.
A bright future for Nowell
While Markquis is coming back from an injury and playing fewer minutes. He still managed to impress. In just this game alone he was able to dish out five assists in the first four minutes.
His ability to play make and command the offence is on an elite level. Whenever he had to sit the offence had a noticeable dip in efficiency compared to when he was on the floor. His defence is also very good for someone his size, he hounds and harasses the ball handler causing them to turn it over or make a mistake. Like in this same game against Motor City, being able to force a turnover in the clutch.
The 905 truly have something special with Markquis and hopefully, he can stay healthy and show off to everyone what he can do.
