Hotlanta: Raptors sweep their road trip in ATL

The Raptors are streaking! (enjoy it while it lasts).

The Toronto Raptors capitalized on an undermanned Atlanta Hawks squad, securing a 117-94 win, and earning a sweep in Atlanta. Despite missing key players, the Hawks put up a spirited fight to start the game but couldn’t match the Raptors’ depth.

The Hawks tried to set the tone early, with Vit Krejci providing the spark offensively, building a 13-point lead in the first quarter. However, the Hawks’ transition lineup couldn’t produce anything offensively, and the Raptors got their bearings back with a 16-2 run to take a brief 31-29 lead. The Hawks tried to put up a stand for several minutes, even having a 41-40 lead with about four minutes into the half, until a decisive 15-7 run to close the half with a 55-48 lead.

The Raptors smelled blood and shifted gears in the third quarter, building a lead by as much as 17 points behind solid contributions from Ja’Kobe Walter, RJ Barrett, and Scottie Barnes. The Hawks just have no chance, with the way the Raptors are playing hard and the Hawks’ inability to put the ball on the rim. The fourth quarter became a much-needed blowout for the Raptors, as it doesn’t happen too often that they’re on the right side of a blowout.

Scottie Barnes led all scorers with 24 points, 12 boards, and seven dimes. He also collected four “stocks.” RJ Barrett chipped in 23 points, eight boards, and four dimes, while Chris Boucher rounded up the Raptors’ “big 3” with 23 points off the bench. Boucher’s 23 points single-handedly outscored the Hawks’ bench, who scored 22 points collectively. The Raptors’ bench mob put up 47 points.

Vit Krejci led the ailing Hawks with 20 points, seven dimes, and five stocks. He also made six of his eleven trifectas. Onyeka Okongwu stuffed the stat sheet with his 19 points, eight boards, five dimes, and five stocks. Trae Young hobbled his way to a miserable 16 points and 11 turnovers.

The Raptors’ size advantage allowed them to dominate the paint, taking a 51-43 rebounding advantage, including a 54-40 points in the paint advantage. The visitors also played with more energy, as evidenced by their transition efforts — a 20-8 fast break points advantage and forcing 24 points (+7) off the Hawks’ 24 turnovers.

Per the Raptors’ broadcast, this is the first time the Raptors won three straight games since February 2024. They have now won five of their last six games, and coach Darko Rajakovic has a chance to post his best month since the Pascal Siakam trade. The Raptors finished the month of February 2024 with a 5-7 record. Should the Raptors finish the month with a winning record, it would be the second winning month under coach Rajakovic’s tenure.

Additional Notes:

• Despite the recent winning streak, the Raptors are still 1.5 games away from having the third-worst record, so the winning hasn’t “tanked” the #WeTheTank movement.
• Ja’Kobe Walter posted his best game since getting caught with the numbers game when Bruce Brown and Kelly Olynyk got healthy. Walter was relegated to garbage time minutes and the Raptors 905 for the past couple of weeks, and Gradey Dick’s stinker gave him an opening to flex. He dropped seven points, three boards, three assists, and two steals tonight. Still, his energy and defense allowed him to stay on the floor enough to show a few things he could do offensively.
• Gradey Dick had a rough night against the Hawks. He only had three points before garbage time and earned a couple of quick hooks from coach Rajakovic. Part of that is due to foul trouble, but Gradey’s horrible defense stood out the most tonight when everybody, including RJ Barrett, was playing neutral, if not positive, defense.
• Orlando Robinson saw his first real action tonight, posting four points, six boards, and three stocks in 21 minutes, making Clint Capela consider playing for Ice Cube’s Big3.
• Trae Young had 0 assists in the first half - with his first dime coming at the start of the fourth period. Young looked hobbled for most of the game. Still, he was uncharacteristically hunting to pad his assists instead of trying to win the game. Heck, the Hawks’ coach Quin Snyder tried to do Young a solid by keeping him in the game despite the Hawks getting blown up in the fourth in hopes of getting Young five dimes to keep his streak alive. Sadly, the basketball gods said, “hell nah.”