Raptors 905 lose Game 2, 98-76, and the G League title to the Austin Spurs

The Raptors 905 were back at home and in need of a win to send the series back to Austin for a deciding Game 3. However, from the beginning, it was quite clear that the Spurs had the extra jump. They led after every single quarter and ran away with it in the fourth, winning the game, 96-78, and the G League title.

The 905 started out hot and got out to a small lead before the Spurs took control. A 28-18 lead after the first quarter was basically all Austin needed. They never looked back after that.

The Spurs were led by Jeff Ledbetter, the 29-year-old G League veteran, who was hot all night from all over the court and finished with 16 points while shooting 6-of-8 from the field and 4-of-6 from three. Ledbetter was letting it fly all night long and was hitting tough contested shots. When he did give the ball up, Nick Johnson was there to help lead the Spurs offense, as he had game-high 17 points.

What really made the difference in this one was Austin’s bench dominating the 905’s bench. They had 49 points compared to the 905’s 30. A tired Lorenzo Brown — coming off an appearance in Detroit with the Raptors the night before — could not lead the 905 come back.

Since Brown was playing his third game in as many days, Austin had less trouble guarding him. They weren’t just making Brown force shots or passes though, they were doing it to the whole 905 team, who together committed 21 turnovers and shot just seven percent from three (2-of-27).

On top of that, the 905 were without Davion Berry who was unable to play due to an ankle injury. Berry has anchored the 905’s bench this season and without him available to play, coach Jerry Stackhouse, had to use a whole bunch of different lineups, with none really working.

Every time the 905 went on a run, Austin came back and went on a run of there own, and the lead was too big to come back from. While trying to chip away, the 905 were careless with the ball and continued to make bad mistakes and costly offensive fouls.

It was clear the 905 just ran out of gas, as it was all Spurs all game long. But Austin straight out dominated the series and are the new G League champions. Sadly, they celebrated on the 905’s floor, but not before a little scrum took place.

Kennedy Meeks took exception to a dunk and went after the Spurs players, which was followed by both teams yelling back and forth and Meeks getting kicked out.

Still, it was a heck of the season for the 905, considering where they started. The team should be proud, even though they couldn’t win it all.

Notes

• Malcolm Miller led the 905 with 12 points and added eight rebounds.
• Kaza Keane got more minutes due to Berry being out and capitalized on that with 12 points. Meanwhile starting point guard Lorenzo Brown had just 11 points and 10 assists.
• Kennedy Meeks had an overall good game before getting ejected at the end, as he had 11 points and 9 rebounds.
• All in all, every 905 players got time on the court except for Berry who was injured.
• Nick Johnson of the Austin Spurs was named Finals MVP.
• Now, a personal note, I want to thank all of you for reading the articles on the 905 and following the team throughout the season, as it was quite a journey. It means a lot to me, to be able to write about this team and for you guys to read it. The countdown is on for next season!