SUMMARY
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The Raptors 905 proved why they are the first seed in the NBA G League playoffs after a 126-102 blowout of the Ignite Select Team on Monday, March 8 (Tuesday, March 9, Manila time) at the AdventHealth Arena in the Lake Buena Vista, Florida bubble.
Ignite finished their historic debut season with an 8-7 record and a playoff appearance to boot despite having a mix of teenagers and near 40-year-old veterans as main focal points.
Fil-Am star prospect Jalen Green went down swinging in the loss with a career-high 30 points on 11-of-20 shooting, with 7 assists, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals in 41 minutes.
Fellow prospects Daishen Nix and Isaiah Todd added 11 and 9 markers, respectively, while Bobby Brown led the veteran cast with 15 points on a 6-of-14 clip.
Congolese prospect Jonathan Kuminga, meanwhile, failed to see action for the third-straight game after an untimely knee injury took him out near the end of the regular season.
After a hot-shooting first half where they led 69-56, the NBA veteran-laden Raptors had the time of their lives against a lackluster Ignite defense that allowed open triples and simple dribble-drives to the bucket over and over again.
Ignite’s offense was no better as they sleepwalked to a 20-point deficit, 78-98, at the 1:17 mark of the third quarter after they were unable to convert on repeated isolation possessions.
Although Green fired off two straight long bombs to cut the lead to 13, 85-98, entering the final frame, it was too little too late as the Raptors just locked in on both ends, and got back to a 20-point lead, 117-97, off a Henry Ellenson jam with 3:54 left in regulation.
Matt Mooney then put the finishing touches in the final minute with a long two for the game-high 24-point lead and the eventual final score, 126-102.
Ellenson, a former Detroit Pistons forward, showed the young ones how it’s done with a game-high 33 points on 12-of-18 shooting, and 5-of-9 from downtown, with 8 rebounds in the lopsided win.
G League mainstay Matt Morgan added 25 points, and hit his first 9 shots and first 5 triples, before finishing with a 9-of-11 clip. Former NBA top 8 pick Nik Stauskas, meanwhile, chipped in 23 markers.
With the win, the Raptors will move on to the knockout semifinals where they await the winner of the 4th and 5th seed match between the Delaware Blue Coats and the Austin Spurs. – Rappler.com
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