Raptors 905 Rises Above Grand Rapids at Showcase
January 18, 2017 - NBA G League (G League)
Raptors 905 News Release
MISSISSAUGA, Ontario- Raptors 905 (17-7) defeated the Grand Rapids Drive (11-15) 135-122 on Wednesday in the second game of the NBA Development League Showcase.
Axel Toupane scored 23 points off the bench, going 10-of-12 from the free throw line and three-of-three from deep, as Raptors 905 won its fifth straight game. Brady Heslip finished with 19 points, connecting on a team-high four three-pointers, and eight Raptors 905 players scored in double figures.
Jordan Crawford came off the bench to finish with 23 points and a game-high eight assists while Kevin Murphy had 22 points and eight rebounds in the losing effort.
Raptors 905 opened the game shooting 11-of-17 (64.7 percent) from the field, including five-of-seven from deep, to hold a 36-33 advantage over Grand Rapids after one. CJ Leslie led eight Raptors 905 players in scoring with eight first-quarter points. After one period, Ray McCallum notched eight points on four-of-four shooting.
In a first half featuring five ties and five lead changes, Toupane led all scorers with 13 points as Raptors 905 had a 65-69 lead over the Drive. Murphy paced Grand Rapids with 12 points, including three three-pointers.
Raptors 905 opened the second half on a 19-5 run to extend its lead to 20. Raptors 905 led 99-88 after three quarters, shooting 33-of-62 (53.2 percent) from the field and 13-of-24 (54.2 percent) from deep.
Raptors 905 edged Grand Rapids in the fourth quarter, 36-34, to hold off a brief rally by the Drive. Ray McCallum and Ismael Romero each had 17 points for Grand Rapids, which dropped its fifth straight game.
In the victory, Edy Tavares posted a double-double (16 points, 11 rebounds) and E.J. Singler knocked down three threes to finish with 15 points.
Raptors 905 will play its final game of the showcase on Friday, Jan. 20 at 8:30 p.m. ET against the Long Island Nets on ESPNU. Grand Rapids also squares off against Long Island in its next and final game of the showcase on Saturday, Jan. 21 at 8:30 p.m. ET.
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