Raptors 905 steamrolled by top-seeded Swarm’s frontcourt
The Raptors 905 and Greensboro Swarm collided in a matchup of G League super heavyweights on Saturday.
The Swarm were heavier though. And taller. They used their larger proportions to bully the 905 physically, dominate the offensive glass and boss the paint on the way to an imposing 126-114 win in the first of back-to-back games at the Paramount Fine Foods Centre in Mississauga, Ont.
The 905’s leading scorers Alijah Martin and AJ Lawson had 26 and 21 points, respectively, but their totals were inflated by fourth-quarter sprees after the game was out of reach. Martin had 16 in the final frame and Lawson had nine.
The 905 fell to 16-9 and are now 2.5 games back of the Swarm for top spot in the Eastern Conference, but will get another crack at the top-seeded squad on Sunday afternoon.
On the opening possession, Jarkel Joiner ran a get action and got a switch onto Swarm forward Tidjane Salaün, but the offence stalled out. Still the speedy 905 guard blew by and made a mid-air switch-handed layup. Later Joiner methodically rocked Marcus Garrett to sleep then got both him and the helper to bite on a step-through for another finish. Joiner’s 12 points (on 5-of-8 shooting) and four assists led the 905 at half.
Jonathan Mogbo posted up a mismatch and made a hook shot. AJ Lawson banged a deep 3. AJ Hoggard added a pair of triples off the bench early and finished a tough drive to the rim through traffic as the 905 kept pace with the Swarm early. Hoggard finished with 24 points on 10-of-14 shooting – including a perfect 4-of-4 from 3 – and added five rebounds and five assists.
For a stretch the 905 struck the perfect balance with their defensive rotations, creeping into the gaps enough to nullify opposing drives while staying connected and aware enough to recover. Their closeouts were crisp and stifling. Tyreke Key and Tyson Degenhart successfully oscillated between assignments above the break to force a late-clock airball from Swarm two-way player Antonio Reeves.
Olivier Sarr hedged and snuffed out a Liam McNeely drive off a Chicago action. While they accessed the paint at will for much of the game, the Swarm were denied for a stretch and were instead stuck putting up contested 3s. They made 2-of-4 though and the 905 started to lose the thread soon after.
The root of the issue was twofold – 905 misses leading to easy offence for Greensboro and a lack of physicality in the paint. The Swarm led 12-0 in fastbreak scoring and 42-24 in paint points at half, and all 12 of their transition points came at the rim. Greensboro also had eight offensive boards to only two for the 905, and scored another 12 of their paint points on putbacks. Only nine of their makes inside the key came on first-chance halfcourt shots, but they just kept getting stops, running out and recollecting the ball over the top of the 905 defence.
PJ Hall was the chief suspect, grabbing 10 offensive rebounds. The Swarm centre is listed as only six-foot-eight, but was playing like he’s eight-six, and finished with 27 points and 19 boards.
Former 905 backup big Julian Reese signed a two-way contract with the Washington Wizards on Saturday, so Olivier Sarr and Jonathan Mogbo split time at centre, and with the frontcourt also missing David Roddy (international assignment) and Quincy Guerrier (right ankle sprain), they were thoroughly overmatched.
It was also notable that the 905 didn’t score in transition in the first half, as they’re among the league leaders in fastbreak points. Greensboro were great at putting bodies on the 905 off live rebounds and also did a tremendous job taking care of the ball, with only five turnovers through three quarters.
Tension rose. Martin got a tech in comical but unfortunate fashion as he spiked the basketball after being called for a foul and it bounced back up and hit him in the face.
The 905 trailed by 21 in the third, but Martin cashed a corner 3, Mogbo swooped in with one of his four blocks and Hoggard lobbed Sarr for an emphatic two-handed dunk capping a 9-0 run. Still a Swarm putback ended the rally.
Again in the fourth the 905 pushed, first with a near comeback early in the quarter and then with another fake one in the final minutes after the game was all but settled.
Martin maneuvered downhill and dimed Degenhart cutting baseline for a reverse layup. Lawson forced a turnover pressuring the ball. Joiner hesi’d past his defender and down the gut for scoop layup. The 905 started to beat Greensboro at their own game as Lawson canned a triple off an offensive rebound. Martin drilled a catch-and-shoot 3 in transition to make the score 100-94 for the Swarm with eight-and-a-half minutes left.
That was the closest it got.
Greensboro’s formula of runouts, putbacks and contested triples swiftly extended their lead back to 15 while the 905 missed a handful of shots and made a couple turnovers. The 905 backcourt – Martin, Lawson, and Hoggard – combined to go 5-of-6 from deep over the final five minutes but only cut the deficit to single digits with 35 seconds left.
The 905 were outrebounded 21-9 on the offensive glass, had 15 turnovers to the Swarm’s 10, and as a result Greensboro took 100 shots to the 905’s 88. They just won’t win like that.
Another issue is that the 905 have given up an average of 128.8 points over their last seven. They had allowed a G League-best 102.8 per game previously. More, they’ll now be without Reese, whose solid rebounding and screening provided a solid floor off the bench. The 22-year-old also had a burgeoning offensive game and had noticeably improved as a finisher over the course of the season.
Alternatively, Mogbo has struggled to make shots at the rim recently, blowing multiple layups and touch shots over the last couple games – he’s shot 40 percent in the restricted area. There were particularly bad misses on Saturday.
In order to have a shot at taking down the East’s top team in their rematch on Sunday, the 905 must rediscover the high-pressure defence they led with early in the season and body up on the Swarm’s frontcourt to prevent another rebounding disaster.
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