Canadians lead Raptors 905 in thrilling win over Maine Celtics

Spearheaded by its Canadian contingent, the Raptors 905 (4-10) outlasted the Maine Celtics (6-8) in a 115-114 road victory on Sunday afternoon.

The northside trio of Eugene Omoruyi, A.J. Lawson and Quincey Guerrier were the junior dinos top scorers on the day, helping the 905 snap a three-game skid. Omoruyi finished with a career-high 34 points on 14-of-18 shooting, 10 rebounds, four assists and three steals. The Nigerian-Canadian now leads the squad in scoring, averaging 20.5 points per game.

Lawson, in his second game as a two-way player for Toronto, also put up 34 points while nailing four triples and grabbing three steals. Guerrier racked up 19 points and 13 rebounds off the pine, leading all bench players in the 905 victory.

Sunday’s matinee performance between the 905 and Celtics was a testament to the age-old basketball adage: “Basketball is a game of runs.”

The 905 opened the contest on a 14-6 run, sparked by Omoruyi who started a perfect 3-of-3 from the field and capped by fellow Canadian Lawson drilling a triple. The Celtics quickly responded, however, as they went on a 29-4 run and outscored the Mississauga squad 31-8 through the rest of the first frame.

Come the second quarter, the 905 completely flipped the script as they outscored Maine 40-24. A Guerrier triple gave the 905 back the lead midway through the frame while Lawson chipped in with 12 points to put the junior dinos up 62-61 at halftime.

And like clockwork, the Celtics made a run in the third, going ahead by seven points midway through the third quarter. Thankfully for 905 fans, timely shotmaking by Lawson and Guerrier helped the squad re-establish its edge on the scoreboard, leading 94-86 after three.

Chaos is the best way to describe the final frame between the East rivals. The 905 had extended their lead up to 11 a couple of minutes into the fourth, but a familiar face made things interesting once again. Ron Harper Jr., formerly on a two-way with the Raptors, nailed a pair of threes that cut the Celtics deficit down to four.

Maine got even closer in the contest’s final moments as the 905 struggled to execute. An ill-advised layup by Shead, a missed free throw by Lawson and a pair of turnovers within the last two minutes meant the Celtics had the ball with 11 seconds left and an opportunity to win as they trailed by just a point.

Thankfully for 905 fans, Maine botched the inbound pass and time expired.

Jamal Shead bounces back

It wasn’t a perfect effort from the Raptors rookie in his second consecutive G League game while on assignment, but Shead had his fingerprints all over the victory.

The 22-year-old finished with 15 points, albeit on 7-of-20 shooting, and 13 assists, which was a nice turnaround after arguably his worst game as a pro in a 132-109 loss to the Delaware Blue Coats on Friday. Shead only scored two points in that game, going 1-for-8 from the field and was a game-worst -28 by the end of the night.

But on Sunday he asserted himself more on offence, and it was a nice response to see. Shead leveraged his ability to get into the paint as his drive-and-kick game routinely led to success for his teammates.

Meanwhile, his defence was also a clear catalyst in the victory, especially in the game-swinging second quarter. The 905 forced nine Maine turnovers in that frame and Shead’s perimeter presence was a major part of that as he finished with a career-high six steals. His effort was vital in slowing down the backcourt of JD Davison and Drew Peterson who combined for 10 of Maine’s 23 turnovers on the day.

But, again, it wasn’t a flawless outing by any means. Shead nearly wiped away all the good fortune he had earned with some baffling moments in crunch time. With the 905 up five points in the final two minutes, he opted to go for an iso drive and a heavily contested layup that went nowhere — instead, leading to a Celtics triple the other way. After that, Shead bobbled a routine inbound pass which resulted in a backcourt violation which gave Maine a golden opportunity to steal the win.

To his credit, he did “force” a turnover on the final play of the game to secure the dub, even if it was more of a bad Celtics inbound than a good Shead steal. Overall, it wasn’t a breakout performance for the second-rounder but still a solid building block performance that shows his ability to bounce back. A quality that should serve him well at both levels.

Up next

With the conclusion of tip-off tournament group play (the first 14 games of the season), the 905 head to Florida to take part in the G League Winter Showcase between Dec. 19-22. A venue for front offices and scouting staff from all over the league to watch and evaluate talent.

The 905 will still play two games at the event, despite not qualifying to compete for the Showcase Championship thanks to their 4-10 record.

After the festivities in Florida conclude, the 905 will next return to action on Dec. 27 when they welcome the Birmingham Squadron to Mississauga.

The post Canadians lead Raptors 905 in thrilling win over Maine Celtics first appeared on Raptors Republic.