Former Arizona guard Nick Johnson scored 17 points off the bench — and fueled a late-game rally — in the Austin Spurs’ 105-93 win over the Raptors 905 in the first game of the Best of 3 G-League Finals series at Austin tonight.
Johnson, a consensus All-American and the Pac-12 Player of the Year in 2013-14, made 6 of 13 shots from the field, including 3 of 4 attempts from 3-point range. He also had six rebounds and two steals in the win.
Nick Johnson reacts after blocking a shot in Austin’s win over Raptors 905 in the first game of the G-League Finals on Sunday (ESPNU screen shot)
Former Colorado standout Derrick White led Austin with 32 points and Darrun Hilliard (Villanova) added 21 points.
Austin travels to the Raptors 905 home court in Mississauga, Canada for Game 2 on Tuesday and potentially Game 3 on Wednesday.
The Spurs took control of the game tonight after the Raptors 905 tied it at 89 with 6:02 left in the fourth quarter on a layup by former North Carolina guard Kennedy Meeks.
Johnson ignited a decisive 14-4 run by scoring the first five points of that stretch on a jump shot and 3-pointer, giving the Spurs a 94-89 lead with 3:33 remaining. Austin built its lead to 99-89 before the Raptors 905 ended its scoring drought with 1:21 left.
Lorenzo Brown, formerly of North Carolina State, led the Raptors 905 with 20 points, but made only 9 of 23 shots while being guarded mostly by Johnson.
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