Dial 905: Raptors 905’s lack of defense allows Blue Coats to coast for easy 141-129 win

Starters

Raptors 905: Saben Lee, Ron Harper Jr., Gabe Brown, Reggie Perry, Melvin Frazier Jr.

Delaware Blue Coats: Charlie Brown Jr., Justin Smith, Michael Foster Jr., Skylar Mays, Mac McClung

Assignee(s)

Raptors 905: Ron Harper Jr. (TW)

Delaware Blue Coats: Michael Foster Jr. (TW)

The Raptors 905’s offense looked great this past weekend, with the team scoring their season-high despite missing a few bodies. The problem? Their defense was missing the entire time, giving a red-carpet treatment to the Delaware Blue Coats, which led to a disappointing 141-129 loss.

Ron Harper Jr. and Saben Lee scored 28 apiece to lead the Raptors 905. Harper Jr. is averaging 26 points while shooting 45% from the perimeter over the last three games. Saben Lee was the primary point for the Raptors 905, and he complemented his 28 points with 11 assists. Unfortunately, Lee and Reggie Perry were sloppy with the ball, having five turnovers each. Christian Vital added 19 points off the bench, hitting three trifectas.

Mac McClung was the best player on the floor, with a big gap between him and the next-best player. McClung dropped his NBA G League career-high of 44 points, including going 4-for-8 from deep. He also sprinkled in seven assists and six rebounds. It was a stellar combo guard play for McClung, who shared the playmaking duties with Skylar Mays, who was a two-way contract player for the Atlanta Hawks for the past two years. Mays finished the game with eight points but had 11 assists to one turnover.

Charlie Brown Jr., another former two-way contract player, this time with the Philadelphia 76ers, added 22 points. Our old friend Patrick McCaw contributed 17 points, including 4-for-7 from behind the arc. Perhaps, he’s the Golden State Warriors’ missing piece.

The Raptors 905 were short-handed for this tilt, as Jeff Dowtin Jr. received a call-up due to the injury bug afflicting the main club. Kenny Wooten Jr. also missed the game due to a shoulder injury. Justin Champagnie’s injury and Julian Champagnie’s call-up also prevented us from seeing the twins go head-to-head.

The Blue Coats set the tone early, imposing their will, or heck, with the Raptors 905’s lack of interest in playing defense, they don’t have to impose anything. They raced to a 16-9 lead, capitalizing on the Raptors 905’s poor half-court defense, and non-existent transition defense. The visitors woke up and smelled the coffee behind Reggie Perry and Christian Vital, helping the Raptors 905 take a 34-28 lead late in the first period. However, coach Khoury’s bench lineup (Harper Jr. + bench) got destroyed with a 13-4 Blue Coats run in the last two minutes of the quarter, coughing up the lead for good, trailing the Blue Coats 41-36.

The second frame was more of a pickup game, with both teams getting what they wanted offensively. The Blue Coats had a walk in the park scoring 44 points in the second period while shooting a blistering 59% from the field, led by McClung’s 13 points. Harper Jr. tried to carry his team with his 13 points, hitting all of his trifectas in this period, but his teammates had nothing to show on either end of the floor, letting the Blue Coats close the half with an 85-72 lead.

The Raptors 905 managed to put up some resistance in the third frame, holding the Blue Coats to 40% shooting. Unfortunately, two things didn’t work out for the visitors. One was McClung, who was unstoppable again, leading to 11 points in the third, and their offense faltered, shooting just under 32%. The Raptors 905 could not stage an effective rally due to their poor shooting and inability to put together a defensive stand that would span more than two possessions. The closest they got was a two-possession game, with Lee trying to will his team, cutting the lead to 87-93, but McClung was having none of it, and he powered a 16-7 run to put the game away in the third period.

Up Next: The Raptors 905 head back to Mississauga to host the Long Island Nets for a baseball series starting tonight.