Raptors 905 labour to workmanlike win over Capital City
The Raptors 905 were still without their two-way players on Thursday as the Toronto Raptors face injury troubles, and they kept winning anyway.
It was a laborious effort where the 905 made a boatload of turnovers (21), and didn’t move the ball well, but overcame their deficiencies by killing the Capital City Go-Go on the glass and running hard in transition, driving their 115-104 road victory.
Much of the success the 905 had capitalizing on advantages in the halfcourt came by way of Tyreke Key (25 points) and Olivier Sarr (24 points, 14 rebounds, three assists, three blocks). The pair finished with identical 8-of-14 shooting from the floor and 4-of-6 shooting from 3, with Key making one more free throw than Sarr.
David Roddy nearly had a triple-double, with 10 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, but also would’ve nearly had a quadruple-double if turnovers counted, as he gave the ball away eight times. Tyson Degenhart’s performance was also notable as the steady wing finished with 15 points, six boards and three assists, shooting 4-of-5 from 2-point range. The 23-year-old rookie entered the game seventh in the G League with a 74.2 true shooting percentage.
Alondes Williams scored 30 for the Go-Go, also shooting 8-of-14, and their only two-way player available for the game, Sharife Cooper, had 14 points and 11 assists.
The 905 weren’t themselves to start, as the ball stuck more than usual, and their often-synchronous help wasn’t quite on tempo.
Jarkel Joiner and Key, filling in for Alijah Martin and Chucky Hepburn in the backcourt, each turned the ball over. Joiner on the first possession and Key coming off a pin down and airmailing a lob out of bounds.
Meanwhile Williams and Leaky Black took advantage of passes out from the inside, each drilling a couple 3s in the first quarter, and leading the game in scoring with nine and 10 points, respectively, after the first. Capital City got out to a quick 23-11 lead.
Degenhart hit Julian Reese with a pocket pass for a dunk out of an empty side pick n’ roll. Reese was fouled the next trip down, making the one-for-two free throw to spark a mini run and bring the score within four.
A broken play by the 905 – a well-covered Spain pick n’ roll – resulted in Roddy fumbling the ball to Key in the corner where he hit the 3 anyway. The halfcourt offence kept failing to produce quality looks, but the 905 put nose to grindstone and plowed ahead to a lead. Degenhart deposited a putback and drew a foul on a post up. Key got to the rim, first driving through contact for an and-one and later off a hit-ahead in transition. AJ Hoggard ran out on the break and made a spectacular finish over two Go-Go defenders.
Key kept getting downhill, using every ounce of his six-foot-two frame to out-muscle opponents. He finished another hit-ahead through contract, for another and-one, to put the 905 up 55-48 going into halftime. The crafty guard had a game-high 17 on six-of-eight shooting at the midway point while Olivier Sarr had 14 points and nine rebounds.
The 905’s lack of its usual primary ball handlers was apparent, as they committed a dozen turnovers at half. Roddy accounted for six alone, including some head-scratchers. But they made up for it by out-rebounding the Go-Go 28-16, including a plus-four advantage on the offensive glass.
After ending the first-half scoring, Key opened the third quarter with a deep triple. He was up to 20 points on the night. Sarr followed by canning another out a pick n’ pop. Capital City kept pace with shot making of their own.
Both sides seemed content with playing off shooters and forcing them to fire over the top. And the triples kept raining down. Another two apiece from Key and Sarr. Four to match from Capital City. Most of them lightly contested.
Eventually Sarr set an exit screen for Patrick McCaw, freeing the French big man for a post-up and hook-shot finish. Roddy found Degenhart on a baseline cut for a reverse. Slowly, the inside opened up.
When Key and Sarr finally started missing to start the fourth quarter, role players were there to pick them up. Quebec native Quincy Guerrier scored the first three baskets of the frame at the rim. Julian Reese reliably tossed the ball into the bucket from close range, rolling or slipping down the lane. Joiner splashed a couple tough mid-rangers.
The 905 had the odd breakdown for a backcut or open dunk, but mostly they maintained their shell and forced difficult shots. The eight-point lead they took into the final frame doubled and held from there. An unremarkable win, but one that came against a team above .500 and one that added to their 10-1 record, nonetheless.
If the 905 keep their current pace this season will go down in the history books (Basketball Reference pages) as their best. But even the most extraordinary accomplishments are built in part by ordinary steps forward.
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