Game Summary: Raptors 905 vs Grand Rapids Drive 12/02/2018

The Raptors 905 started with their one-two punch two-way players Cris Boucher and Jordan Loyd, recently assigned Malachi Richardson, Deng Adel, and Kyle Collinsworth. Curiously, Kay Felder was inactive today for some undisclosed reason. Maybe he's getting a call-up? Who knows. Regardless, this is a good game to see whether Loyd can handle extended PG minutes.

The first quarter yielded some good return for Loyd as a PG, as he started off with 2 3PM and while he didn't have that many assists to start, it was mainly because his teammates were missing wide open shots. The Grand Rapids Drive showed their aggression from the get-go, taking advantage of the Raptors905's poor defence and lack of fight on the boards. This issue culminated with Boucher picking up his second foul midway through the first quarter.

Interestingly enough, coach Jama Mahlalela chose to leave Boucher in the game. The Raptors905's offensive and defensive struggles were met by the Drive's work inside and outside ended with the first quarter with the Drive up 31-17 and threatening to pull away. It was a tough first quarter for Boucher and Malachi.

The second quarter pretty much continued much of what transpired in the first quarter, with Garner looking locked and loaded from the perimeter and Hamilton an unstoppable force in the paint, while the Raptors905 is bricking everything outside the paint - going 3-19 around the perimeter in the first half. As the Raptors905 starters started to come back into the game, they made a concentrated effort to buckle down on defence, get transition opportunities, and score inside.

The Raptors905 managed to get the lead down to 9, trailing 30-39 midway through the second quarter, but the Drive answered with a back-to-back three-point shot by Bethea Jr and Garner. The Raptors905 clawed back and went on a 15-2 run with Boucher joining the fray to score 9 points to end the half trailing by two, 45-47.

The second half was all Raptors905 show for the rest of the way. The Raptors905 tightened up their defense for the most part, and Boucher continued to take over the game, scoring 15 in the third frame. The Drive's offense sputtered, and they were held to 15 points in this quarter - exactly how much Boucher scored in the quarter as well. The quarter ended with the Raptors905 comfortably ahead, 74-62. Loyd, not to be outperformed, poured in 10 points in the final frame, with the Raptors905 easily trashed the Drive 106-91.