TORONTO – With an NBA Development League record crowd of 18,099 on hand, the Austin Spurs were soundly defeated by Raptors 905, 116-87.
Livio Jean-Charles continued his dominance on Monday afternoon, finishing with 15 points, five rebounds and five blocks. Charles Garcia also had 15 points and five rebounds off the bench for Austin. Cory Jefferson and Patricio Garino added 13 and 12 points, respectively.
For the 905, Brady Heslip was unconscious from the field, going 8-for-9 from beyond the arc to finish with a game-high 33 points. Will Sheehey and Pascal Siakam each had 20 points. Meanwhile, Jakob Poeltl had a monster double-double with 11 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks.
Both teams started strong offensively, despite the noon tipoff from a frigid Toronto. Jefferson’s 11 points kept Austin within striking distance after the first quarter.
Austin used a 10-2 run to start the second quarter, leading by as much as six points in the frame. But Sheehey would quickly catch fire, scoring eight of his 20 points in the quarter, giving the Raptors a six point halftime lead.
Then everything unraveled for the silver and black.
The 905 nailed seven of their 10 3-point attempts coming out of the locker room, scoring 36 third quarter points to take a 23-point lead heading into the final 12 minutes.
To start the fourth, both teams went scoreless for nearly three minutes before Yanick Moreira split a pair of free throws. Austin managed to put up 20 points in the fourth, outscoring their abysmal third quarter. But the Spurs still finished the game shooting paltry 29 percent from the field, as the Raptors 905 would secure a 29-point victory.
Awaiting the Austin Spurs (19-23) is a showdown with former Spurs forward Jarell Eddie and the Windy City Bulls (18-23). Both teams will desperately attempt to hang on to their playoff hopes on Friday night from the Sears Centre in Chicago. Tipoff is at 7 p.m. CST with the game being broadcast on Facebook Live.
