The Greensboro Swarm are a good G League team. They were undefeated before the Raptors 905 arrived in town Thursday. Two-ways Antonio Reeves and KJ Simpson were unavailable for that game but returned on Friday and were a handful. Both have plenty of NBA experience – Reeves put up 30 with the New Orleans Pelicans last season – and that goes without mentioning Tidjane Salaün, the sixth-overall pick in 2024.
The 905 are better. They experienced bumps on the road to a 114-103 win over a strong Swarm squad on Friday, but ultimately got the job done on the back of timely shot-making from their top players. The 905 extended their franchise-best start to six straight wins and are now one of only two unbeaten teams in the G alongside the 4-0 Windy City Bulls.
AJ Lawson’s shot wasn’t falling – he went 2-of-8 from 3 – but he was his usual efficient and exuberant self otherwise, blowing by defenders and racing out in transition for a game-high 23 points. He added seven boards and three steals and five other 905ers scored in double digits – Alijah Martin (16), Jarkel Joiner (15), Julian Reese (14), Jonathan Mogbo (12), and Chucky Hepburn (10).
Despite being minus-15 on the glass, doling out 30 fouls and missing a ton of shots, the 905 squeaked out the win anyway on sheer will. They did stay true to their fervent defensive identity however forcing a whopping 31 turnovers to the Swarm’s 16.
The 905’s offensive process started out sound. They did a great job making the extra pass off the catch to set up open shots. Hepburn caught on a gut cut and made a good decision to kick to Olivier Sarr, who had spaced to the weak-side corner, when opposing centre Ibou Badji stepped up. Sarr swished it.
But the 905 mostly missed a ton of good looks. Martin moved the ball to corner after catching on a well-timed baseline cut, but this time Sarr missed. They shot 8-of-34 (23%) from 3-point range.
Clashing star G League wings Lawson and Reeves briefly took over in the first, trading above-the-break triples and scoring at the rim.
Lawson was later stuffed by Badji in transition, but the 905 corralled the ball, and it found Lawson again in the corner for a made 3. The Toronto-born wing was already up to 13 points at the start of the second quarter but didn’t score again until the fourth, while Reeves and Simpson each led the way for Greensboro at the half with 10 apiece.
The game got messy as each team traded turnovers, moving screens and travels and play ground to a halt. Tyson Degenhart and Mogbo nullified a Swarm ball screen with good switch defence, but Mogbo was in tough on the offensive end, killing his drives early and having difficulty finishing. He also fouled a ton, and the 905 did as a whole. Mogbo, Degenhart, Sarr and Hepburn all had three apiece by halftime. Each team finished with over 30 fouls, and it got chippy in the fourth as Martin took a hard elbow in the chops, and Simpson’s hand was bloodied. The game was often a rock fight. Hepburn fouled out late.
After Brandon Slater outmuscled Lawson off his own missed free throw for a putback, the pace shifted drastically to breakneck speed. Each team sprinted out and tossed touchdown-style hit-ahead passes off their own inbounds. Lawson lobbed Sarr; Josiah Allick got a layup a few seconds later for the Swarm and Hepburn immediately responded by drilling a pull-up triple in the open court.
The 905’s shot-making came around when they needed it most in the second half.
Martin hit his first 3 of the game off a delay handoff from Reese a few minutes into the third frame. After the 905 stood tall and forced a shot clock violation. Joiner then brought the ball up the other way, got off it and relocated to a corner that had been cleared out, and Martin delivered the ball back to him driving out of the pick n’ roll. Joiner sunk the open catch-and-shoot to give the 905 a lead they never relinquished.
After a timeout the 905 ran their pistol series and reversed the ball to Joiner who got downhill out of a Spain pick n’roll. He hit Mogbo in the dunker spot who made a tight pass across the lane to Reese for a layup.
Reese and Degenhart played volleyball on the offensive glass with Reese finally getting a tip back to go on the third try. It doesn’t show in the box score thus far, but Degenhart’s been impressive in his modest minutes, displaying that innate “nose for the ball” quality that is so often bestowed on players with great drive, anticipation and hands. He also always seems to get the ball into the hoop when he gets the opportunity – he’s 11-of-15 (73%) on twos thus far.
The two-ways traded buckets to start the fourth. Martin hit a 3, Lawson cruised to layups, and Simpson patiently navigated traffic under the 905 hoop for a difficult reverse. Salaun popped a transition triple.
Just as the 905 started to gain separation with an end-to-end Lawson run finished with a picturesque finger roll, another Reese-Mogbo interior connection, Greensboro would hang in with a timely triple.
Drew Peterson, who knocked down 4-of-10 triples, missed one. Hepburn handled, rejected a screen, and made a short-range jumper in the lane. That sequence was sandwiched between two plays where Mogbo brought the ball up, ran an inverted pick n’ roll with Hepburn, spun and got a floater to go. Far from ideal offensive process, but the 905 put the ball in their assignment player’s hands, and he delivered. In five total possessions, the 905 lead grew from five to 11 and the game was over. Now the only question is if the 905 will ever lose again.
