A back-and-forth season opener between the Raptors 905 and Delaware Blue Coats ended with a Tyreke Key 3-pointer to give the 905 the walk-off win on the road 116-115.
It looked dire for the Mississauga squad when Justin Edwards scored two of his game-leading 28 points from the free throw line with 6.4 seconds left, but it was too much time. D.J. Carton, after picking up his dribble, was able to find Key for the off-balance long bomb for the win.
Great Guard Debut
While the 26-year-old Key was able to drain the game-winner, they wouldn’t have got there if it wasn’t for the contributions from Carton and Kennedy Chandler.
Carton was fantastic, finishing with 25 points, seven assists (including the game-winning assist), three rebounds, and a block and steal-a-piece. The 24-year-old was efficient, going 9-of-16 (56.3 percent) from the field while draining five shots from downtown on eight attempts (62.5 percent).
Everything was going in for him, including a no-look circus layup while facing the opposite way.
The springy 6-foot-2 guard used his athleticism to pick up full court, contest shots at the rim in rotation, and fly around the court.
Chandler was no slouch either, finishing with 25 points himself, 10 assists, seven rebounds, two steals, and a block. While he wasn’t as efficient as Carton, only going 10-for-21 (47.6 percent) from the field and 1-for-3 (33.3 percent) from distance, he was just as impactful as a defender.
The 22-year-old used his quickness and fast hands to give the Delaware ball handlers fits all night, even stealing the ball on the inbound pass a couple of times.
The duo fit in quite nicely alongside each other, combining for 50 points, 17 assists, and 10 assists, with Chandler more on the ball and Carton off.
Carlson’s Cool With It
A beneficiary of those 17 assists, Branden Carlson, was the Raps’ next-best player, posting a 16-point, 14-rebound double-double. The 25-year-old tacked on a triplet of assists and blocks and ultimately was impactful on both ends of the floor, just like the guards.
Carlson was only 1-of-6 from distance, but the process was great, as the team would run sets for the seven-footer to get open looks from deep. Every NBA team is looking for a big who can space the floor on offence and protect the rim on defence, and Carlson is capable of doing so.
Quebec Native Quincy Shows Out
Montreal, Que. native Quincy Guerrier played hard all night in his first professional game. The 25-year-old started the game, and the motor was running right from the tip, as he would finish with 17 points, nine rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
The Canadian played with physicality, boxed out well, and was able to guard multiple positions on defence. Guerrier played his role, going 7-for-10 from the field and 1-for-3 from distance while not doing too much.
If he can continue to stand out from an athletic, rebounding, and defensive standpoint while being efficient on offence, Guerrier will continue to start for the 905.
Other Notable Performances:
Tyreke Key: Eight points, four rebounds, one assist, 2-for-5 from distance.
Myles Burns: 11 points, two rebounds, two steals, one block
Justin Edwards: 28 points, six rebounds, four assists, two steals, 4-for-11 from distance.
Patrick McCaw: 18 points, six rebounds, four steals, three assists, 3-for-6 from distance.
Judah Mintz: 13 points, eight assists, six rebounds
Max Fiedler: 10 points, 14 rebounds, three assists
Marcus Bagley: 10 points, 14 rebounds,
Up next for the Raptors 905 is a double date against the College Park Skyhawks, as the Mississauga squad continues their five-game, season-long road trip to start the year.
Also, congratulations to Drew Jones for his first win as the Raptors 905 head coach.
