Rookies join Raptors 905 to steamroll Swarm in big win
The Raptors 905 (3-7) cruised to a 134-92 win over the Greensboro Swarm (8-2) on Thursday, welcoming some much-appreciated reinforcements to help snap a two-game skid.
Heading into the early tip-off (11 a.m. ET) at Scotiabank Arena, Toronto assigned its platoon of rookies; Ja’Kobe Walter, Jonathan Mogbo, Jamal Shead, and Jamison Battle to the 905 for a bit of double-duty action. (All four were back up with the Raptors against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night).
And while none of them stuffed the stat sheet, the group’s impact was evident throughout the ball game. The 905 put forth a season-best effort on both ends of the floor, scoring their most points through the first 10 games while also allowing their fewest on the defensive end as well.
Battle led the way for the quartet as he scored 14 points on four-of-seven shooting from beyond the arc. He and Jamal Shead, who finished with six points and 12 assists, both finished the contest with an identical +22 rating. Walter was plenty impactful as well, largely on the defensive side, ending the game a team-high +24 despite scoring just seven points and dishing four assists. Mogbo’s day was similar as he was a +14 after tallying nine points on four-of-five shooting.
The game plan for the Raptors’ rookies was clear as soon as the opening tip-off, be aggressive on both ends of the floor and “punch first” as 905 head coach Drew Jones III described it pre-game.
Message received loud and clear by the group, practically landing a knockout blow right out the gates. Jones’ 905 started on an 8-0 run, forcing two shot clock violations and knocking down three triples in four minutes of play. By the time the first quarter was over that first burst snowballed into a 13-2 run and eventually steamrolled into an 18-6 run. The Swarm quickly found themselves trailing 30-15 to the very same team (okay, maybe a bit different) they beat by 35 points two days before.
“I challenged our guys,” said Jones following the win. “I said the team that hits first … that’s typically the team that comes out on top, that was our message before the tip.”
And while much of the attention was on the rookie quartet through the opening frame and most of the game, the unsung hero on the day was Dylan Disu. Aside from scoring a season-best 26 points and hitting eight threes on a blistering 89 per cent clip, the forward-turned-centre was also exceptional on defence.
When he wasn’t disrupting actions or diving for loose balls, Disu succeeded in limiting former 905er Reggie Perry. By his own admission, the former Texas Longhorn gave up a few pounds in the matchup but still managed to stymie Perry, holding the Swam Big man to just 10 points on five-of-12 shooting after he had bullied them for 22 the game before.
His efforts helped the 905 balloon their lead to 68-46 at halftime which turned into a 33-point lead after the third before ending the contest ahead by a whopping 43.
It was the perfect bookend for a day that started with the fact it was being played away from the usual confines of the Paramount Fine Foods Centre in Mississauga as it was the 905’s annual school day game.
The roaring crowd of children not only provided a constant flow of energy through all 48 minutes but also helped set a new G League attendance record. The 19,257 people in attendance eclipsed the previous mark also held by the 905 franchise.
“It was loud, really loud,” Disu said following the win when asked about the atmosphere in the arena. “That’s probably one of the louder environments we’ve been in … consistently, no matter what, they just were super hype and that was fun.”
Key moment
It wasn’t all smooth sailing in the lop-sided victory as the Swarm did make things interesting in the second quarter. Jaylen Sims hit back-to-back triples, en route to a team-high 18 points, as Greensboro cut the deficit to single digits.
The 905 responded immediately, however, going back up by 10-plus thanks to a pair of 905 regulars off the bench. Eugene Omoruyi converted an and-one midway through the frame to put the squad back up by double digits before Kennedy Chandler shut the door on the Swarm with a vicious poster dunk on Caleb McConnell that extended the lead to 50-36.
Omoruyi finished with a team-high 29 points on 11-of-14 shooting while Chandler notched a double-double thanks to 16 points of his own and a career-high 14 assists.
Key stat
In a game decided by such a large margin, there are plenty of areas on the stat sheet to point at. Ultimately, the Swarm simply couldn’t overcome the overwhelming disparity on 3-point shooting. The 905 hit 14 more triples (+42) on the day while converting on a hyper-efficient 60.5 per cent from beyond the arc.
Five different 905ers hit at least three 3-pointers against Greensboro who only made seven more field goals (30) than the Mississauga squad did threes (23).
Up next
It’ll be a short turnaround for the 905 as they return to their usual stomping grounds on Friday to host the Westchester Knicks for the second leg of a back-to-back. Should the 905 come out on top, it would be just their first time winning two consecutive games this season.
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