The Delaware Blue Coats (19-27), the NBA G League affiliate of the Philadelphia 76ers, fell to the Raptors 905 (29-19), 117-104, on Saturday night at 76ers Fieldhouse. Tied at 79 heading into the fourth quarter, the visitors outscored the Blue Coats 37-25 in the final period of a back-to-back for the home team.
76ers two-way contract player Shake Milton led the way for the Blue Coats, posting a team-high 28 points (11-20 fg, 5-9 3fg, 1-1 ft), four rebounds and four assists in 35 minutes. Milton has now scored 23 or more points in five of his six games since returning from injury. Jared Brownridge came off the bench to score 15 points (6-13 fg, 3-10 3fg) in 26 minutes for Delaware, while DJ Hogg added 12 points (4-7 fg, 2-4 3fg, 2-2 ft), seven rebounds and a blocked shot in 23 minutes as a reserve.
Justin Patton, on assignment from the 76ers, made his first start of the season for the Blue Coats and tallied 11 points (3-7 fg, 5-6 ft), six rebounds and three blocks in 27 minutes of action. Michael Bryson appeared in his first game for Delaware since suffering an injury in the season opener against the 905 on Nov. 3. Bryson scored 10 points (4-6 fg, 2-3 3fg, 0-1 ft) in 10 minutes of work.
#2WayPlayer Shake Milton (@SniperShake) tallied 28 PTS, 4 AST & 4 REB for the @blue_coats on Saturday night 🐎@SMUBasketball ↗️ @blue_coats ↔️ @sixers pic.twitter.com/IuwCQIg8Dl
— NBA G League (@nbagleague) March 17, 2019
“It’s been a very, very long process,” said Bryson. “Dan [Erickson], our trainer, has been a huge help in this whole process for me. I appreciate my teammates for being so supportive through this time, the Philadelphia organization just for giving me an opportunity to go through this process of being injured and coming back, and still giving me the resources in order to come back at full potential. It’s been a long time and I’ve been waiting for it.”
The Raptors 905 led 52-51 at halftime. Keenan Evans (8 points, five rebounds and five assists) tied the game at 79 with a jump shot for the Blue Coats to beat the third quarter buzzer. The road team went on an 11-4 run, beginning with a technical free throw, to open the fourth quarter.
Toronto Raptors assignment player Chris Boucher poured in a game-high 30 points (11-18 fg, 1-5 3fg, 7-8 ft) with 17 rebounds and six blocked shots in 41 minutes for the 905. MiKyle McIntosh recorded the entirety of his 25 points (10-15 fg, 2-4 3fg, 3-5 ft) in the second half, and Raptors two-way contract player Jordan Loyd notched a double-double with 20 points (5-13 fg, 1-4 3fg, 9-10 ft) and 10 rebounds in 40 minutes.
The Blue Coats return to action on Monday night when the team hosts the Canton Charge at 7:00 PM at 76ers Fieldhouse.
