Long Island Nets blow out Raptors 905 behind Shannon Scott triple-double
By Phil Watson
Seven different Long Island Nets scored at least 14 points Saturday and the Nets never trailed en route to a 126-105 win over Raptors 905 at Nassau Coliseum.
Shannon Scott notched a triple-double for the Long Island Nets. who ended the competitive phase of Saturday night’s matchup with Raptors 905 at Nassau Coliseum very early in what was a 126-105 victory to solidify their hold on first place in the NBA G League’s Eastern Conference.
The Nets (16-6) led by 30 at halftime, 72-42, and never trailed in the game, taking a one-game lead over the idle Westchester Knicks in the G League East. They now lead Raptors 905 (14-9) by 2½ games.
Raptors 905 did play without leading scorer Chris Boucher, who is second in the G League scoring race at 28.4 points per game in 15 games. Boucher, on a two-way contract, was with the parent Toronto Raptors.
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Long Island opened the game with a 9-2 burst and closed the first quarter with an 8-0 run to take a 32-16 lead.
The game got out of hand late in the second quarter when the Nets went on an 11-0 run to take a 70-37 lead with 55.8 seconds left in the half. Their largest lead was 38 points, 83-45, with 7:57 to go in the third period.
Long Island shot 52 percent (52-for-100) on the night and hit 12-of-33 from 3-point range (36.4 percent). while demolishing Raptors 905 on the glass 65-42.
The Nets also tied a franchise single-game record with 38 assists, matching their mark set in a Feb. 6 win over Raptors 905 at Nassau Coliseum. They outscored 905 in the paint 80-50 and on the fast break by a whopping 37-5 margin.
Raptors 905 shot just 37.2 percent (35-for-94), but did drop 16-of-41 (39 percent) from deep.
Tahjere McCall and Thomas Wimbush each scored 21 points to lead Long Island. Scott posted his second G League career triple-double, finishing with 17 points, 11 rebounds and 16 assists. Scott now has 36 assists in his last two games.
His other triple-double came on March 24, 2016, as a member of Raptors 905 against Westchester.
Drew Gordon came off the bench for 19 points and 10 rebounds in just 19 minutes, while Theo Pinson returned to score 14 points with six assists after missing Long Island’s last two games while with the parent Brooklyn Nets under his two-way contract.
Kamari Murphy scored 15 points and Mitch Creek dropped 14 for the Nets, while Ismael Sanogo blocked two shots.
Malachi Richardson, on assignment from Toronto, scored a game-high 33 points for Raptors 905. Kyle Collinsworth had 11 points and nine rebounds, Jordan Howard finished with 16 points and three assists and Myck Kabongo also had three dimes.
The Nets played their third straight game without rookie guard Jordan McLaughlin, out with a strained left hamstring, while newly signed Okaro White was inactive after joining the club on Friday.
Long Island is idle until Thursday, when they visit the Maine Red Claws (8-15) at the Portland Expo Building in Portland, Maine, for a 7 p.m. Eastern tip. The Red Claws picked up a 109-102 road win over the Grand Rapids Drive on Saturday night. The game can be seen on ESPN+.