Dial 905: Raptors 905 make light work of Maine Celtics, win 128-92

The Raptors 905 are on a roll, and the Maine Celtics became their latest victim, as the host 905 beat the visitors 128-92 last night. Coach Patrick Mutombo and his 905ers dominated the entire game, building a massive lead by as much as 45(!) points early in the fourth period. It was a collective effort for the Raptors 905, with seven players on double figures led by Ryerson Rams legend Aaron Best’s 24 points.

It was a “take-a-backseat” kind of night for Reggie Perry (9 points and 9 rebounds) and Isaac Bonga (9 points and 11 rebounds). Best was on attack mode early and often, and he led the charge for the Raptors 905 in the first quarter. Ashton Hagans took the baton from Best as he imposed his will on both ends of the floor, repeatedly getting into Chris Clemons’ face during his first shift. Hagans finished with 18 points and seven assists while doing most of his damage in the first half.

David Johnson had another good game, dropping four three-pointers en route to 12 points on 4-for-6 shooting. His perimeter shooting is trending up, and that’s a good sign.

Starters

Raptors 905: Isaac Bonga (NBA), David Johnson (2W), Aaron Best, Breein Tyree, Reggie Perry

Maine Celtics: Brodric Thomas (2W), Juwan Morgan, John Bohannon, Deonte Burton, Chris Clemons

Assignees

Raptors 905: Isaac Bonga (NBA), David Johnson (2W)

Maine Celtics: Brodric Thomas (2W), Matt Ryan (2W)

The Celtics took advantage of the Raptors 905’s sloppy start, getting up to a quick 6-2 lead two minutes into the game. Little did the Celtics know that that was the last time they would hold the lead for this game. Aaron Best and Isaac Bonga warmed up, led a 13-4 run, and took control of the game from this point forward. Newly minted Celtics two-way contract player Matt Ryan (Not the Falcons QB!) came off the bench and promptly did what he does best - hit a three-pointer, cutting the Raptors 905’s lead to 15-13.

That was the last time the Celtics threatened the Raptors 905 as Ashton Hagans controlled the latter part of the quarter. Hagans’ playmaking, shot creation and getting on Chris Clemons’ mug defensively helped the Raptors put up a 34-24 first-quarter lead.

The Raptors 905’s bench brought their “A game” for this matchup, as birthday boy Justin Smith quickly racked up 8 points off the bench. Chris Clemons looked like he was starting to heat up, scoring five quick points early in the second quarter, cutting the lead to 40-34. Hagans got back into Clemons’ grill and had a nasty sequence. He forced Clemons into committing a pick-six and followed it up with a nicely sold flop as the Celtics tried to inbound the ball, forcing the refs to call an offensive foul on Clemons.

Hagans sparked a 9-2 run to build their then biggest lead, 49-36. However, Celtics’ Juwan Morgan got deep a few times, helping them go on an 8-2 run to keep them within striking distance. Sadly for the Celtics, David Johnson made a deep three-pointer that sparked their own run, this time, a 12-2 run, behind Best and Breein Tyree’s exploits, closing the half at 64-46.

The Celtics came out for the second half looking flat, and the Raptors 905 jumped on them right away, going on an 8-0 run to push the lead to 72-46. Obadiah Noel came off the bench early in the third period as Johnson picked up his fourth foul, but it was bad news for the Celtics. Noel racked up eight points easily in the third period. With a 98-63 lead entering the fourth, the game was clearly heading into garbage time. If anything, we got blessed with an Alex Antetokounmpo sighting!

What an excellent win as a team for the Raptors 905. Every player got their moment to shine throughout the game while playing within their system. Coach Mutombo could do no wrong on this game, and this was a quality team that’s got some pieces that are fringe players. Chris Clemons (11 points and six turnovers) previously played for Houston Rockets. At the same time, Brodric Thomas (6 points and 7 rebounds) is a current Celtic two-way contract player and had stints with Boston Celtics, Houston Rockets, and Cleveland Cavaliers. Jaysean Paige led the Celtics with 17 points, but who are we kidding? Those points mostly came from garbage time.

Up Next: The Raptors 905 are back at it tonight, as they host College Park Skyhawks. The game is on NBA TV Canada, but if you don’t have that channel, Raptors 905 typically tweets a livestream link before the game. Also, Toronto has assigned Dalano Banton and Svi Mykhailiuk(!!!) for tonight’s game.