Toronto Raptors continue to roll and complete sweep of Hawks in Atlanta
For the second time in three days, the Toronto Raptors (13-32) defeated the Atlanta Hawks (22-23) 117-94 at State Farm Arena Saturday night.
The win marked the Raptors’ fifth win in their last six games, improving to 6-6 in the month of January. The opposite can be said for the Hawks, who after dropping back-to-back games to the Dinos have dropped four straight.
In the first quarter, it was Vit Krejci’s world, and everyone was living in it. The 24-year-old would go 3-for-3 from distance, finishing the opening frame with nine points and three assists. Behind Krejci’s flamethrower start, it looked like the Hawks were going to head into the second quarter with a large lead, but the defence tightened up for Toronto to end the quarter. The Raps would end the first on a 7-0 run, cutting the lead to five 27-22 after the first frame.
It was a very different first quarter for the Raptors than on Thursday, as everything was falling for them in the previous contest as they took a 35-25 lead after one.
They would have to battle back in this one, however.
The Raptors would continue their momentum into the second quarter, turning that 7-0 run into a 16-2 run as they would eventually tie things up at 31. The bench would be the biggest factor in the Raptors not just getting back into this one but taking the lead. The Raps bench would outscore the Hawks bench 22-5, led by Chris Boucher. He continued his great run of play, ending the half with 10 points and three rebounds while cashing in twice from deep, helping Toronto get out to a 55-48 lead at halftime.
After trailing by 12 in the first, the Raps would outscore the Hawks 40-21 to end the half led by the great play of the bench. The Dinos were also able to take the lead because of the amount they limited Trae Young.
Per Keerthika Uthayakumar, Young was held to zero assists in the first half for the first time since 2019, holding him to eight points on 3-for-9 shooting.
The third quarter continued with strong defensive play from the Raptors, who held the Hawks to only 70 points on under 38 percent shooting. The Raptors took a commanding 86-70 lead into the fourth.
And once again, Young still doesn’t have an assist.
That would change immediately in the fourth, however, as a Bogdan Bogdanovic three would get the association’s dimes leader, Young, off the schnoz. It wouldn’t amount to much, however, as the Raptors would continue to roll to the win, largely thanks to the duo of RJ Barrett and Scottie Barnes.
The latter in Barnes was fantastic. While continuing to play some flat-out stellar defence, he stuffed the stat sheet. The former all-star finished with a near triple-double to the tune of 24 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists, two steals, and two blocks. If you take out the 3-point shooting, he was super efficient, going 7-for-11 inside the arc.
Barrett had one of his better games of late, putting up 23 points, eight rebounds, and four assists. He got downhill relentlessly and was money off the catch from distance, going 3-for-4.
The bench was once again great for Toronto, as Boucher himself outscored the Hawks’ unit 23-22. The Canadian would add five rebounds and a block. Overall, thanks to contributions from Boucher, Bruce Brown Jr. (eight points, five rebounds, and two assists), Ja’Kobe Walter (seven points, three rebounds, three assists, and two steals), and Jamal Shead (five points and six assists), the Raps’ bench would outscore the Hawks’ unit 47-22.
Next up for the Raptors, they’ll return home for a single game at Scotiabank Arena against the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday, before hitting the road once again to take on the Washington Wizards on Wednesday.
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