Originally posted March 24, 2018
On a beautiful sunny afternoon in Mississauga, the Raptors 905 finished the season with a come from behind win.
The first quarter was a sluggish to start to the game, with both teams shooting poorly from the field (905: 38.1%, Red Claws: 40.9%). Trey Davis, who had 16 points in the first frame, hit a 3 at the buzzer to give there Red Claws at 23-21 lead. Malcolm Miller was the 905's leading scorer with 7 points.
The wheels fell off at times during the second as the 905 continued to look lethargic and both teams continued to shoot poorly from the floor (905: 40.5%, Red Claws: 41.2%). Davis continued to lead the way for the Red Claws with 22 points while Lorenzo Brown lead the 905 with 13 points.
The 905 turned things around in the third somewhat taking the lead late around midway point before the Red Claws clawed back (pun totally intended) to finish the quarter up two points with a 69-67 lead. Leading scores were Davis with 28 and Miller with 21 for the Red Claws and 905, respectively.
The game went back and forth during the fourth quarter and Maine held a there point lead with 42 seconds to go. With Maine clinging to a two point lead and time winding down, Brown found Davion Berry in the quarter for a triple with 8 seconds left on the clock. Following a great defensive stand, the 905 had a win to finish the seasons.
Davis, who cooled off significantly from the first quarter, finished with 34 points for the Red Claws. For the 905, Brown led the way with 24 points and 8 assists and Miller, who was held scoreless in the fourth, finished with 2.
Following the Spurs in the 6 "3on3" format for NBA G-League game recaps this season, here's my take on what happened both "on the court" and "off the court" (with a bonus video of a Berry's game winner).
On the court
Offence vs. defence: As usual, Brown looked calm and comfortable on offence on his way to his 24 & 8. What struck me today was how easily he was beat off the dribble on D. I don't know if it is fatigue or return from injury but I do not recall seeing this big of a discrepancy between his offence and defence before.
Point guard: The G-League certain places a focus on the point guard play (one reason the Austin Spurs struggled at times last season). The two point guards had it going tonight. The aforementioned Brown and Davis both had big scoring nights. That said, Brown is clearly a potential NBA talent while Davis points were more the result of having the ball in his hands.
No get up and go: The 905 looks to wear down as the game went along - a lot of short shots in the fourth quarter and a 35% shooting percentage for the game.
Off the court
Kids, kids, kids: Whether it was the second week of March break for some, cooler temperatures for the start of spring or the last home game, this was the largest crowd I have seen personally at the Hersey Centre outside of the playoffs.
5,398: Despite the size of the crowd, it was relatively quiet compared to prior game is have attended. Not a single spontaneous "let's go Raptors" cheer which was somewhat disappointing. That said, the fans did turn up the volume at the end of the game.
Out of my way: After the pre-game intros, the Red Claw players started to head to centre court for jump ball... only to be surrounded by the Sauga City Dances who had yet to perform their pre-game routine. The looks on the faces of some of the Red Claw players as they vacated the area were priceless.
We got a great opportunity to start them at home...
Coach Stackhouse on the playoffs which start on Wednesday
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