Dial 905: The squad heads west, clinches a playoff spot, and more

The Raptors 905 have just a few games left in the season, but are just now doing their annual west coast road trip. As per usual, it’s a tough one, with the travel, time change, and quality of the opposition. The 905 hung in tough however, with a chance to still win the division, going 2-1.

Here are how things shook out over the past seven days.

Friday, Mar. 16th — vs. Northern Arizona Suns

Final Score: 118-114 for the 905

The 905 clinched a playoff spot with this win over the Suns. The game started out tough as both teams traded baskets. Fortunately, this style ended up working as Lorenzo Brown and Kennedy Meeks dominated down the stretch for a close 905 win.

Lorenzo Brown Will Not Stop

Brown is way too good to be in the G League, and once again it showed against the Suns. On top of that, Brown had a great pick-and-roll operation going with Meeks, which freed up both players for shots, and allowed easy set-ups for other teammates. Brown ended up with 26 points, 9 assists, and 7 rebounds in 35 minutes for another productive game. Afterwards, Brown was recalled to the Raptors, where he helped secure a win against the Magic.

Kennedy Meeks Scores Career-High

Meeks put on a show in Northern Arizona and scored a career-high 25 points. As he normally does, Meeks simply dominated the opposing centre — in this case, it was Alec Peters. There was just no stopping Meeks in his pairing with Brown in the pick-and-roll, and once he got going in the post too, it was over. Along with 25 points, Meeks added a game-high 15 rebounds, plus 2 assists, and 2 steals.

Notes

• Fuquan Edwin is really starting to play well since being inserted into the starting lineup. He put in 18 points with 8 rebounds in 34 minutes.
• Alfonzo McKinnie’s energy was much needed in this game as he chipped in with 15 points and 6 rebounds in 34 minutes.
• Shevon Thompon continues his dominance in limited minutes as he had 14 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks in 28 minutes.
• Kethan Savage, Negus Webster-Chan, and Andre Washington were all hit with DNP-CDs. Meanwhile, Malcolm Miller was up with the Raptors.

Saturday, Mar. 17th — vs. South Bay Lakers

Final Score: 114-94 for the 905

Despite being a contest against one of the top teams in the G League, and with the 905 coming into the second night of a back-to-back, the junior Raps squad took it to the South Bay Lakers, outscoring them quarter by quarter to cruise to victory.

Fuquan Edwin Stays Hot

Edwin’s play has come out of nowhere, as just a couple weeks ago he was fighting to stay in the rotation, and now appears to be one of the team’s top players heading into the playoffs. Edwin is known for his defense and rightfully so, as he used his energy and arms to create havoc in passing lanes. On the offensive end, Edwin put up a team-high 19 points, along with 3 assists, and 2 rebounds.

Malachi Richardson Shows Up

Hey, it’s Malachi Richardson, the almost-an-NBA-player! Since joining the 905, Richardson hasn’t even been one of the top seven or eight players on the team, and was struggling to get minutes. Richardson finally looked confident, putting trust in his jumper and coach Jerry Stackhouse’s defensive system, which will be huge come playoffs. Malachi finished with 15 points, along with 4 rebounds, and 4 steals in 21 minutes.

Notes

• Alfonzo McKinnie had another good game in a limited run, as he only played in 16 minutes, but had 14 points, and 7 rebounds.
• Nigel Hayes was assigned to the 905 for this one and chipped in with 15 points, 3 assists, and 2 rebounds in 24 minutes.
• Kennedy Meeks continued his G League dominance as he contributed with 12 points, 6 rebounds, and an assist in 26 minutes.
• Lorenzo Brown and Malcolm Miller did not appear in this one, as both were with the Raptors.

Tuesday, Mar. 20th — vs. Reno Bighorns

Final Score: 101-96 for the Bighorns

The 905’s season is slowly coming to an end, but the team is still trying to grab the division lead and a first round bye in the playoffs. However, after two big games on their road trip already, and with Brown and Miller not with the team, the 905 really struggled against the Bighorns. Sadly, behind a strong fourth quarter performance from Reno, the 905 took a tumble in this one.

Davion Berry Leads the Way Off the Bench

Berry has been up and down this season, but luckily for the 905, it was dominating Berry who showed up in this one. With Brown and Miller not around, and Hayes and McKinnie struggling, the 905 needed everything they could from the rest of the roster. (Even in a losing effort.) Berry led the 905 in points with 18, and added 6 rebounds and 2 assists in 28 minutes.

Fuquan Edwin Again?

Edwin has cemented a place for himself on the 905 and in the playoff rotation. Once again, he was strong on defense in this contest, and was able to boost the offense as well. Edwin had 17 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals in 27 minutes for a big game off the bench.

Notes

• It should be mentioned: Aaron Best shot the lights out in this one, going 2-for-2 from three, and 5-of-7 from the field for 12 points in 22 minutes.
• The centre tandem of Meeks and Thompson struggled a bit in this one but still made an impact. Meeks had 10 points and 6 rebounds in 30 minutes, while Thompson had 10 points and 6 rebounds in 17 minutes.
• Malcolm Miller and Lorenzo Brown were not with the 905 like mentioned, while Negus Webster-Chan, Andre Washington and Roger Moute a Bidas were all hit with DNP-CDs.

Reminder: If you want to go see any 905 games this year go here and use promo code RAPTORSHQ905 to get discounts on 905 tickets all season long.