The short-handed Cruise struggled offensively to keep up with the Raptors 905.
Detroit, MI. – After enjoying the ride of a six-game winning streak, the momentum of the Motor City Cruise was halted from a 104-87 loss to the Raptors 905. The lead remained in control by the Raptors 905 as the Cruise suffered defeat at home.
Why It Matters
- Six-game winning streak by Cruise came to an end
- The Cruise remain in 8th place in the Eastern Conference with a 11-12 record
Motor City Cruise By the Numbers
Points In the Paint: Cruise – 22 Raptors – 44
Biggest Lead: Cruise – 1 Raptors – 20
Bench Points: Cruise – 36 Raptors – 20
Free Throws: Cruise – 12-19 Raptors – 8-9
Guard Kyler Edwards: 19 points, 4-10 FGs, 2-6 3-point FGs
Forward Jared Rhoden: 18 points, 5-11 FGs, 4-7 3-point FGs
Forward Stanley Umude: 15 points, 4-16 FGs, 11 rebounds
Forward Jaylen Johnson: 12 points, 5-11 FGs, 12 rebounds
What They’re Saying
“I’m really proud of the guys and they’re competing level. Not making any excuses for them. I love how they competed. We missed a lot of shots that we normally make, a lot of free throws and wide open threes we normally make. I think our legs were a little bit heavy. We got to take care of our guys with rest in the next 48 hours.” -Head Coach D.J. Bakker on the team’s offensive struggles
“Ryan (Turell) couldn’t fly back today so we didn’t have him unfortunately. He’ll be back Monday. Keifer (Sykes) is progressing well but he’s still in the middle of his rehab process. Same thing with (David) Nwaba. He’s a little further away but they’re doing everything they can to get back on the court.” -Head Coach D.J. Bakker on the lack of available roster depth
“Nothing gets us away from daily improvements, but the guys are well aware that this is what you play for. It’s about to be March, we have nine games left in the season. We’re in the playoff hunt and this is the situation we want to be in. They’re competitors, they’re winners and they’re hungry to make the playoffs. It’s not something we talk about everyday, but everybody knows in the back of their minds that we’re in a playoff hunt right now and every game is huge.” -Head Coach D.J. Bakker on using the playoff hunt as motivation
What’s Next
The Lakeland Magic travel to Detroit for a Monday night matchup against the Motor City Cruise.
