The Raptors 905 (13-17) were unable to capitalize on a hot-shooting start, and a 23-point lead, as they fell 123-115 to the Grand Rapids Golds (15-15) in stunning fashion on Wednesday.
After picking up a last-second victory against the Windy City Bulls just two nights prior to snap a G League-worst 10-game skid, it appeared as though things were finally starting to click for the junior dinos. Even without one of their top scorers in Eugene Omoruyi against the Gold — who was suspended one game for his part in a scuffle with some Bulls players — the 905 were able to get off to a blazing start.
Head coach Drew Jones has lamented all season about his team’s inability to punch first in games, but that certainly wasn’t the case in Grand Rapids, Mich. on Wednesday. The 905 broke the contest open with a 15-0 run in the first that was punctuated by an Evan Gilyard triple. The lead guard, one game removed from putting up a career-high 34 points in a win, was at it again as he scored 13 in the opening frame en route to 27 points on 10-of-18 shooting.
The 905 then ballooned what was an 11-point lead after the first 12 minutes into a 77-58 edge at halftime thanks to even more hot shooting. The approach was simple, as it leaned on team strengths — move the ball (the 905 rank third in assists) to generate open looks — but it was also effective as they nailed 12-of-18 triples on 15 dimes through the first two quarters and made 66 per cent of their field goals.
And while Gilyard led the way in the first, Charlie Brown Jr. took over in the second. The swingman scored 14 of his team-high 29 points in the quarter, going a perfect 4-of-4 from distance during that stretch.
As the all-too-familiar saying goes, however, basketball is a game of runs. Well, the Gold saved theirs for the second half. Grand Rapids finally punched back in the third largely thanks to the over-hand right of one of the G League’s top scorers, Trey Alexander (26.2 points per game). The Denver Nuggets two-way guard, after putting up just nine points in the first half, tallied 11 in the third as part of a 15-0 run that quickly cut the 905’s once 23-point lead back down to single digits. Alexander went on to finish with a game-high 32 points on 8-of-11 shooting to go with seven rebounds, seven assists and three steals.
Had it not been for the effort of Quincey Guerrier, who nailed two triples in the third while scoring eight of his 17 points, the Gold likely would’ve completed the comeback sooner. Grand Rapids eventually took their first lead of the ball game with less than 30 seconds to go in the quarter when Tevian Jones nailed a 3-pointer. His make was the final in an 8-of-11 barrage from downtown by the Gold that punctuated a 40-18 waxing of the 905 in a disastrous third quarter. The 905 won the first, second and fourth frames by a combined 14 points but losing the third by 22 ultimately proved more costly.
(By the way, Jones, who finished with 19 points on 5-of-9 shooting from deep, played in the CEBL last season with the Scarborough Shooting Stars and just signed with the Winnipeg Sea Bears. A dynamic scorer to keep an eye on for hoops fans north of the border.)
The Gold entered the final frame with a 98-95 lead and did just enough to carry themselves to a third consecutive victory throughout the fourth quarter. While the 905 were able to briefly re-take a three-point lead midway through the fourth via a pair of scores from Gilyard, they were unable to hold onto the rope. The best the junior dinos could muster from that point was tying the ball game a handful of times before ultimately losing for a 13th time through their last 15 outings.
It’s been a rough couple of months for the 905, who now sit 12th in the East after starting 11-4 and leading the conference early on in the regular season.
Key stats
While boiling down 48 minutes of basketball to just the 3-point shooting numbers is often an oversimplification, it’s hard to ignore how drastically they swung this game. The 905’s catalyst for early dominance was undoubtedly their production from beyond the arc as they went 5-of-8 from deep to start the game and ended up hitting 67 per cent of their triples in the first half.
And although regressing to the norm would’ve been fine, considering the 905 are one of the stronger distance shooting teams in the G, the taps shutting off completely was less than ideal. The junior dinos made just two of their 19 attempts from downtown in the second half while the Gold made an efficient 10-of-21.
All the while, similar to how the 905’s 3-point shooting both built and tore down their lead, so too did the team’s ball movement. After dishing 15 dimes in the first half on eight turnovers the 905 only added nine helpers through the final two frames while giving the ball away an equal nine times. Their go-to guys in Gilyard and Brown did plenty on the positive end with a combined 56 points and eight assists but they also accounted for 11 turnovers between them.
Up next
The 905 will look to shake off the tough loss in Detroit when they visit the East’s sixth-seeded Motor City Cruise (16-13) on Friday before returning to Mississauga on Sunday for their last two home games of the season.
