905 snag first win of regular season against Mac McClung and the Osceola Magic
The Raptors 905 got their first win of the recently started G League regular season Sunday afternoon at Paramount Fine Foods Centre, holding off the Osceola Magic 131-122.
With the win, the 905 improved to 1-1 in the regular season and 6-12 overall on the year in their final game of 2024. The junior Dinos started the game fast, pushing the pace in transition and generating easy looks because of it. The Raps would jump out to the 34-22 lead after the first quarter, led by that fast play and getting to the paint, scoring 18 points near the rim compared to Osceola’s eight.
The 905 would hold the lead till halftime but lose the second frame. The Mississauga squad would lead by up to 17 points, but the Magic cut it down to eight by the break. During the third quarter, however, the Raps would get back up big as a Quincy Guerrier 3-pointer would extend the 905’s lead to 20 points with 4:30 left to go in the frame. But once again the Magic would claw back and hang around, as the Raptors would only hold a 96-87 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Osceola would get it all the way down to four points with four minutes left to go, but Eugene Omoruyi would slam the door shut with a tough bucket underneath, a catch-and-shoot triple and a no-look dime late in the frame.
One of the Magic’s leading scorers, back-to-back slam dunk champion Mac McClung, was held in check all night. A solid fourth quarter made the numbers look better, as McClung would finish with 17 points, three assists, and two rebounds. The 24-year-old was only 5-for-13 from the field and 1-for-6 from distance while adding a game-high five turnovers.
Omoruyi, A.J. Lawson, and Kennedy Chandler all would end up with 20-piece nuggets as those three would carry the majority of the load, with the latter coming off the bench. Chandler’s 20 points would largely come from distance, as the 22-year-old cashed in four times from deep, going 4-for-6 from beyond the arc in one of his best shooting performances of the year.
Lawson would finish with 23 points, five rebounds, four assists, and two steals, pushing the pace all night. The Toronto, Ontario, native was a big reason why the 905 got out in transition all contest, and he was effective from distance just like Chandler, going 3-for-5.
Omoruyi would also finish with 23 points, adding nine rebounds, six assists, and four steals. The Toronto, Ontario, raised 27-year-old physicality shined through, rebounding the ball well, playing good defence and getting efficient looks in the paint.
Frank Kaminsky was also fantastic as he continued to get more and more comfortable in his fourth game with the 905. The 31-year-old finished with a near triple-double to the tune of 14 points, 11 assists, and nine rebounds.
The 905 got back to .500 at 1-1 in the newly minted regular season after falling in overtime to the Birmingham Squadron on Friday, and Kaminsky said the team played for the guy next to them.
“ We talked about playing for each other, playing more together,” Kaminsky said.
“I think in the second half of the last game, we played better, but in the first half of the first game, we were kind of just all over the place. So it was all just about execution, getting stops and playing for each other.”
Other notable performances:
Raptors 905:
Charlie Brown Jr. 16 points, four rebounds, and one assist.
Jared Rhoden 15 points, six rebounds, four assists, and three steals.
Quincy Guerrier 12 points, six rebounds, and six assists.
Osceola Magic:
Ethan Thompson 29 points, eight rebounds, and seven points.
Jalen Slawson 19 points, nine rebounds, and five assists.
Jarrett Culver 19 points, five rebounds, and two blocks.
Robert Baker 16 points, five rebounds, three assists, and three steals.
The 905 will bring in the new year by completing the second half of their four-game homestand when they welcome in the Austin Spurs for back-to-back games.
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