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Raptors 905 win stirring slugfest over the Westchester Knicks

The 905 took down a formidable conference opponent and moved into first place.

After struggling to one of the worst records through the G League’s initial schedule, the Raptors 905 now find themselves in first place.  

They took down the powerhouse Westchester Knicks 117-114 on Wednesday, and have won five of their last six games. The 905 sit atop the Eastern Conference and the team is only just starting to click. 

After facing excessive roster volatility – even for a G League squad – through the Tip-Off Tournament and showcase, they are now truly coming together as a group. 

“We’re getting more games under our belt together, so obviously we’re going to build chemistry the more we play,” said A.J. Lawson, who led the team with 23 points, after the game. “And then in practices we’re obviously building connection there too. Working on our plays, working on our defence, staying locked in, watching all the film. I feel like we have a good group of guys and we’re all super connected.” 

The 905’s movement and passing both in sets and when improvising was sharper and more in sync than usual. 

They ran a set where Jamison Battle ran off a flare screen and became the back-screener in a Spain pick n’ roll. The on-ball defender got stuck on the screen, the screener’s defender stuck with the big (Frank Kaminsky) and Battle’s man also stuck with him – likely for fear of him leaking out for an open 3. The result was a clear path to the hoop for Evan Gilyard.  

Jonathan Mogbo played big early in this game. He made a nice duck-in, Ulrich Chomche found him with a nice pass from the perimeter, and he went up for an and-one (Chomche also had a great high-low pass in his end of game minutes against the Orlando Magic on Tuesday). Soon after, Mogbo threw down a hard slam in transition, and then again, went up, catching a lob for a layup. 

On defence, the 905’s help principles and ensuing rotations are slowly but surely coming together.  

Battle was active and got his hand in a passing lane, deflecting what would have been an open look from the wing. The 905 started out strong on defence, and took full advantage, taking every opportunity to run out the other way. 

They were patient in transition, as the ball moved from Gilyard, to Mogbo running to the lane, to Walter in the corner, to Kaminsky cutting in from above the break, back to Walter for a cashed open corner triple. Walter then came off a wide pin down from Gilyard and drained a triple from the wing.  

The 905 stayed active on defence with strong contests on consecutive shots. They kept scoring the other way on the break – on a Gilyard take to the hoop and a Eugene Omoruyi catch-and-shoot 3 – resulting in the Knicks taking the first timeout. 

The defensive effort and execution were consistent. Battle and Jared Rhoden kept their men in front at the point of attack on consecutive possessions, switching and shifting their feet. Battle followed with yet another transition make, this time catching in motion and hitting a triple from the slot. The 905 finished the first quarter up 30-20, largely thanks to a 15-3 lead in transition scoring.  

The defence wasn’t perfect, it never is. Some rotations were late. AJ Lawson flew by on a closeout and Omoruyi was late on one. Westchester hit both 3s and ran out for a transition layup to start the second on an 8-0 run.  

But the lapses were minute and momentary. The majority of the time the 905 showed hustled and focus. Perimeter defenders worked to keep their checks in front, they stayed on the same page, and Chomche was a menacing presence down low. He finished the game with six blocks, and now has 20 over his last four games. The Cameroonian rookie both lurked as the low man and came out to the perimeter. He showed tremendous instincts when timing his swats in help, and had a great chase-down block on the Knicks’ Jamal Bey.  

“He’s a long, athletic, seven-foot, young, bouncy big. With his athletic ability, he has the potential to execute multiple coverages. And we’ve thrown multiple coverages at him,” coach Drew Jones told me after the game. “We’ve said hey, versus bigger guys, we want you to play more coverage and protect the rim. We’ve challenged him to switch in pick n’ roll and keep smaller maybe more quicker players in front of him, and he’s done that. So that’s just a major example of the work that he’s putting in, and then the attention to detail, which from a 19-year-old rookie is pretty impressive.” 

A.J. Lawson responded to Westchester’s second quarter run by banging an above-the-break pull-up. On the next possession, he ran out off a steal for a one-handed jam (the steal was a result of some great ball-pressure by Gilyard). Both Lawson and Kennedy Chandler got iso heavy in the second half, and it was working for them. Lawson buried two more pull-up triples and got to the rim repetitively for layups and free throws. The Toronto native finished with a remarkably efficient 23 points on 12 shots – 5-of-6 from inside the arc and 4-of-6 from deep.  

Chandler finished second on the team with 20, adding five assists. The bursty guard hit his first three triples, all catch and shoots from above the break. His driving was sublime, as he went from using mixed pacing to get defenders off balance, to just straight up blowing by guys. Chandler’s finishing included a skillful reverse and a spin in the lane before getting his man with an up-and-under. His efficiency nearly matched Lawson, as he went 7-of-13 from the field and 3-of-5 from 3.  

After taking a double-digit lead into the fourth, things got a little dicey, both on the scoreboard and with the officials. Williams hit a corner 3 to cut the 905’s lead to three. On the following inbound, the Knicks successfully trapped, with Lawson throwing a bad pass that got picked by Williams. Then came Chomche’s most consequential block, as the rookie turned away Williams at the rim with 25 second remaining. The Knicks guard took exception to the non-call, eventually earning a tech.  

The 905 then just needed to inbound the ball and play the foul game up three with 11 seconds left. However, Kaminsky was called for an over-and-back, and head coach Drew Jones took a tech of his own walking onto the court to protest.  

It was risky business with the Knicks getting a free throw and the ball with a chance to either tie or win. Williams bricked the free thrown off the front rim, and Alex O’Connell missed a tough 3 fading to the sideline. A dramatic finish to a great basketball game.   

Up and down the roster, the 905 have a large number of strong G League players, many of whom either have solid NBA experience, are vying for a shot at it, or both.  

Kaminsky, Lawson, Omoruyi, Chandler, and Jared Rhoden all fit that description, along with the two-way/assignment trio of Ja’Kobe Walter, Jamison Battle, and Jonathan Mogbo, who have all spent far more time with the Raptors than the 905 this season.  

With the additions of Omoruyi, Lawson, Rhoden, and Kaminsky and the increased availability of the organization’s two-way and assignment eligible players, the 905 have gone from a team that was 5-11 through the first section of the schedule, to one of the league’s top teams since the regular season reset.  

G League rosters are inherently volatile. NBA teams could very well pluck some of the 905’s top talent and they don’t just have to worry about their own injuries, the Raptors health also has ripple effects that extend out to Mississauga. We saw that to start the season. But if this squad is able to stick together against the odds, they might have something special here.