Raptors 905 Review: 11/29/19 vs Long Island Nets
Early in the 2019-20 NBA G League season, the Paramount Fine Foods Centre in Mississauga played host to a tight, back-and-forth game where there was no let up either from the home team, the Raptors 905, or the visiting Long Island Nets.
John Egbunu opened the scoring for Long Island, who then shortly found themselves with a 10-0 start to the game. Tyler Ennis then scored the first points for the 905, but Egbunu was not finished, and he and Deng Adel restored the Nets' ten-point lead.
As time in the first quarter ticked down Ennis and Justin Anderson got the home team to within three, and despite Jahmal McMurray still adding to the Nets' total, the 905 ended the opening period with a 5-0 run to trail Long Island by three after ten minutes.
From the Raptors' bench, Shamorie Ponds began the second quarter by giving them the lead, then he, Ennis and Anderson got to work turning the game around. Even with Adel and Rodions Kurucs still , Long Island went from ten up to ten down at the end of the first half.
The teams exchanged baskets at the start of the second half, but the 905 were able to hold on to their lead, hitting the target from three-point territory. There was no let up from the Nets, however, with Adel still leading their offence. Midway through the fourth quarter, CJ Williams made it a one-point game, but Ponds responded and kept the Canadian club afloat.
Long Island put up two threes ahead of the final minute, followed by another from Williams which gave them a two-point lead with fifteen seconds remaining. Anderson tied the scores with a layup for the 905, and after he and Adel both missed final chances to put the game to bed, overtime was needed.
Adel made an and-one layup to begin OT, after which Anderson made it a one-point game from the free throw line and Ponds made what would be the game-winning shot thirteen seconds from time. The game was over and the 905 were the victors by a single point.
Adel led losing Long Island with 29 points and 10 rebounds, while John Egbunu also recorded a double-double (10 points, 12 rebounds) and CJ Williams was one rebound shy of a double-double of his own from off the Nets' bench, registering 19 points in 29 minutes played.
For the Raptors 905, Justin Anderson and Tyler Ennis both passed the twenty-point mark, finishing the game with 25 and 20 points respectively, but the leading scorer was Shamorie Ponds with 29 off the bench in his team's 112-111 overtime victory.
