ERIE, Pa. — TheErie BayHawks, NBA G League affiliate of the Atlanta Hawks Basketball Club, fell to the Raptors 905, 118-106, on Friday night at Erie Insurance Arena.
Erie jumped out to an early 19-8 lead, capped off by a pair of Craig Sword free throws. The 905 took a 22-21 lead off of a Fuquan Edwin three-pointer with 1:30 left to play in the opening quarter. After 12 minutes of action, Erie held a 25-22 advantage. The 905 took a three-point, 39-36, lead at the 6:09 mark of the second quarter. Heading into halftime of tonight’s Eastern Conference Final, the BayHawks found themselves up by six points, 56-50.
The Raptors 905 tied the game, 69-69, off a Lorenzo Brown layup with six minutes left to play in the third quarter. After three quarters of action, the Raptors 905 held an 82-78 lead. The 905 outscored the BayHawks, 68-50, in the second half of tonight’s contest. At the final horn, the 905 would take a 118-106 victory. The Raptors 905 now advances to the NBA G League Finals for the second consecutive season, winning the title last year.
John Gillon poured in a team-high 22 points on 9-10 (.900) shooting from the floor, to go along with four assists, four rebounds and one steal in 23.4 minutes as a reserve. Josh Magette notched a double-double, tallying 18 points, a game-high 12 assists, four rebounds and one steal in 36.3 minutes. Jeremy Evans contributed 20 points on 8-9 (.889) shooting from the field, five rebounds, two steals and a game-high three blocks in 32.3 minutes.
Lorenzo Brown poured in a game-high 28 points, a team-high eight assists, four rebounds, one steal and one block in 37.5 minutes. Shevon Thompson contributed a double-double, pulling down a game-high 16 rebounds (nine offensive), to go along with 18 points on 8-10 (.800) shooting and a team-high two blocks in 30.3 minutes as a reserve.
In 2017-18, the BayHawks finished 28-22, winning the franchise’s first-ever division title. Erie also advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinal and Final for the first time in team history. BayHawks General Manager Malik Rose was named the NBA G League’s Basketball Executive of the Year, while Coach Josh Longstaff finished third in NBA G League Coach of the Year voting.
The Raptors 905 will head to Austin, Texas for the first game of the NBA G League Finals on Sunday at 7:00 p.m. That game will be aired on ESPNU.