Dial 905: Siakam Shows up, Leslie Keeps up, and more

It is post All-Star break and the 905 started a winning streak and lost Axel Toupane to the NBA.

Here’s a summary of what went down.

Thursday, Feb. 23 — vs. Erie BayHawks

Final Score: 129-108 for the 905.

Pascal Siakam Makes 905 Debut

Who had the end of February for Pascal Siakam’s 905 debut? Anybody? Part of the reason was due to the lack of power forward the Toronto Raptors had before the trade for Serge Ibaka, as Siakam was forced into starting lineup with the Raptors. Now he starts for the 905. In this game Siakam added energy to the 905’s starting lineup and in 29 minutes put up 15 points, 12 rebounds and 2 steals.

Fred VanVleet Has Huge Game

VanVleet, unlike Siakam, has spent a lot of time with the 905, and his play has really come along since training camp and pre-season with the Raptors. In this game VanVleet played in 31 minutes while adding 26 points, 11 assists and 2 steals.

Notes

• Axel Toupane returned to the 905 after missing the past couple games with an injury, and scored 17 points and added 2 rebounds an 2 assists in 24 minutes. After the game Toupane was signed by the Milwaukee Bucks. Good luck, Axel!
• Antwaine Wiggins continues to add secondary/bench scoring, as he added 16 points and 4 rebounds in 19 minutes.
• Will Sheehey (hamstring), Brady Heslip (flu) were inactive and Goodluck Okonoboh was hit with another DNP-CD.

Saturday, Feb. 25 — vs. Delaware 87ers

Final Score: 110-96 for the 905.

C.J. Leslie Steps Up Big

Leslie’s time with the 905 has been up and down, as sometimes he plays 30 minutes, other games he plays 5. When Leslie is going, he gets going and all coach Jerry Stackhouse has to do is insert him in the lineup and he’ll produce. This game was no different as Leslie came off the bench but still played in 28 minutes. In that time, he went off for 30 points, 9 rebounds and 2 assists. Big time.

John Jordan Gets the Start and Double-Double

John Jordan has been a solid rotation piece for the 905, as sometimes he is an inactive if VanVleet or Wright are with the team, and other times he gets his minutes at the point. In an interesting move, Stackhouse decided to start Jordan with Brady Heslip coming off the bench. Jordan played in 31 minutes, while chipping in with 10 points, 10 assists and 7 rebounds for a very solid overall performance.

Notes

• Brady Heslip came off the bench and produced, with 19 points in 26 minutes.
• Antwaine Wiggins continues to add secondary scoring with 13 points, 4 rebounds and 3 steals in 32 minutes.
• Will Sheehey (injured) was the lone inactive along with Goodluck Okonoboh getting hit with another DNP-CD.

Monday, Feb.27 — vs. Rio Grande Valley Vipers

Final Score: 104-93 for the 905, extending winning streak to 6.

C.J. Leslie Continues Hot Streak

Leslie has been on absolute tear this past week and it continued against the high flying RGV Vipers. This was a good test for the 905 to see where they are against the top teams in the West and Leslie helped show that the 905 are a championship calibre team. In this game Leslie played in 24 minutes while chipping in 20 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks. Leslie’s resurgence have been spectacular for the 905 as without Toupane, Leslie is looking like the player Stackhouse can turn to in the crunch.

Edy Tavares Double Double Please

Stop me if you have heard this before, Tavares records another double double. Tavares has been an absolute monster in the post on the offensive and defensive end. Tavares has developed a ton in his short time with the 905, and looked like he has shown enough to get another shot in the NBA. This game was no different against one of the top offences in the D-League, Tavares had 10 points, 10 rebounds, 5 blocks and 3 assists in 29 minutes of action. Tavares continues to be a literal huge reason for the 905’s success.

Notes

• Brady Heslip returned to the starting lineup and added 19 points with 3 assists.
• E.J. Singler who have been struggling turned it around with 15 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists.
• Will Sheehey returned after missing time with a hamstring injury.
• Christian Watford was the lone inactive along with Goodluck Okonoboh being hit with a DNP-CD.

Wednesday, Mar.1 — vs. Northern Arizona Suns

Final Score: 102-97 for the 905, as win streak extends to 7

Yanick Moreira With a Bench Double-Double

Tavares got off to an awful start in this one so Stackhouse went to Moreira early and he rewarded him. Moreira this season have added much needed backup depth behind Tavares, and the 905 don’t skip a beat when they go from Tavares to Moreira. In this game Moreira played in 19 minutes while chipping in 13 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assist and a block.

Will Sheehey Returns to Starting Lineup

After being sidelined with a hamstring injury for the past couple weeks, Sheehey returned last game but got the start on the road. Sheehey has been very consistent, and provided secondary scoring when he is in the starting lineup or injecting energy into the bench unit. In this game, Sheehey got the start and played in 21 minutes while adding, 18 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists and shooting 7-of-8 from the field and 3-of-4 from three.

Notes

• Brady Heslip has huge game with 17 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals in 29 minutes.
• C.J. Leslie’s good game hot streak continues, as he added 11 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists coming off the bench.
• Negus Webster-Chan was the lone inactive while Goodluck Okonoboh was hit with a DNP-CD.