Preview: G League’s Top Team Visits Struggling Skyhawks

ATLANTA (Interstat) — The NBA G League’s best team meets one of its worst when Raptors 905 visits the College Park Skyhawks on Thursday night at Gateway Center.

The Raptors (29-8), the affiliate of the Toronto Raptors, arrive with the league’s top record and are riding a two-game win streak following a high-scoring road sweep of Windy City last weekend. Their most recent outing was a 141-138 victory on Feb. 21, led by 26 points from guard Alijah Martin.

College Park (10-27), the affiliate of the Atlanta Hawks, has lost eight of its last ten games and is coming off a 149-118 road loss to Motor City on Sunday. Center Basheer Jihad had 21 points and nine rebounds in that defeat.

The matchup features a stark contrast in momentum. Raptors 905 has won seven of its last ten contests, consistently ranking among the league’s most potent offenses. The Skyhawks, meanwhile, have the second-worst record in the G League and have struggled defensively, allowing 130 or more points in six of their last ten games.

A key storyline is the recent head-to-head result. Just two days prior to this contest, on Tuesday, College Park stunned Raptors 905 with a 117-114 home victory. That result snapped a streak of two dominant wins for the Raptors in the season series, which included a 124-92 victory in November.

Players to watch include Martin for Raptors 905, who is averaging 20.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists over his last six games. For College Park, Jihad has been a bright spot, posting four double-doubles in his last ten appearances, including a 33-point, 11-rebound, five-block performance in a win over Motor City on Feb. 20.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a lopsided rebound for the visitors, forecasting a 124-100 victory for Raptors 905.

Following this game, Raptors 905 returns home to face Greensboro on Saturday. College Park hits the road for a game at Capital City on Saturday.