Collin Murray-Boyles dominates as Raptors sweep season series against Hawks
There was energy in that daggum ball. It was bouncing from player to player, and with the Hawks failing to create contact at any point as if they were North-North magnets. Playing catch up, getting nowhere close, and watching the Raptors string together 7 assisted field goals on 7 made shots en route to a 15-4 opening.
The Raptors magnetic rookie, Collin Murray-Boyles — nicknamed Magneto for his ability to attract the ball defensively for steals and deflections, the latter of which he is in the 99th percentile in frequency of creating — featured heavily in all of what went well for his squad. A connective piece and playmaker. A touchstone that the ball could pick up energy from before moving on to a shooter or a dunker. Defensively he stonewalled drive after drive against the Hawks best initiators and had a weak-side block. He hit an outside jumper with a toe on the line, shout out DeMar DeRozan. He finished around the rim, imperfectly, but repeatedly. He stuffed the stat sheet as full as Santa’s sack. Or perhaps, since Christmas is over, as full as Atlanta’s brass’ calendars to meet with and discuss Trae Young trade options.
It was the transitional lineups that struggled early on. Some missed shots and a bit of a deficit from both the 3-point line and charity stripe allowed the Hawks to bring the deficit back to 5 by the close of the first quarter. They opened with an 11-1 advantage in bench scoring. All the while, the game started to get a little bit gritty. Jamal Shead delivered what I believe is referred to as a “good, hard foul” to Porzingis that created a bit of resentment. Porzingis and Barrett clashed under the rim chasing a rebound that resulted in common foul for the lanky Latvian and a technical for Barrett due to a “hostile act”. That’s what you want, though. The Raptors are the fourth seed, the Hawks are in the playoff picture. You want effort and tenacity. It benefitted the Raptors well enough, as their physicality helped limit the Hawks to 3/10 at the rim, 3/8 in the short mid-range and just one offensive rebound across the first 15 minutes of game play.
In terms of advantages early on, the Raptors were making their money with their big forwards. That’s why ‘CMB’ was so effective in the opening sprint. It’s why Ingram and Barnes were both relatively great in their minutes as well. Scoring, cleaning the glass, making plays defensively with their size. Forward stuff. Ideal stuff.
During his second stint in the game, Murray-Boyles continued to flex this advantage. Winning the battles against the Hawks frontcourt while displaying a keen awareness that his low center of gravity was effective in dislodging players around the court, and a keen awareness of when to pass out to shooters and not try to force a finish at the rim. This approach culminated in a 3-basket stretch where he linked up with Dick for an ingenious pass for three, followed by a good one for another, and finally, a roll to the bucket where he gathered a bounce pass, rammed Johnson out of the way, and finished over the top. It was the Raptors rookie who pushed them forward. Tie ups. Chase downs. An ever physical presence. NOT a north-north magnetic match. An opposite pole, absolutely glued to everyone on the court.
A gargantuan 13 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks on 6/7 shooting to the tune of a team leading +19 at the half. Phew.
It’s not easy work, typically, trying to mix and match zone properly without an offense eventually sorting it out. The Raptors though, are a bottom 5 team in the NBA when attacking zone and they see a nearly 10% drop in their efficiency when teams unleash it on them. You can make the Raptors offense go pear-shaped, if you go square shaped… alright moving on. All this to say, I was surprised to see the Hawks refusing to use much of it. Sparse usage, I would say.
Not to be outdone defensively, and they often aren’t since they’re a top-5 defense, the Raptors managed to stall what the Hawks were trying to do on the other side of the floor. It required a high level of connnectivity to keep track of Atlanta’s incessant punch and relocate offense. It lacks in creativity, yes, but it certainly doesn’t lack for effort. The two teams finally combined for a so-so offensive quarter from both sides. A quarter wherein the Raptors managed to extend their lead by 1. After 7 quarters of basketball, these teams were very familiar with one another, and the scale that kept tipping in the Raptors favor seemed to be motivated continuously by the big, strong hand of physicality.
The physicality was sustained into the fourth quarter. It wasn’t just the big forwards either. You could see it in the Barrett-Porzingis matchup that kept poking its head up. You could see it when Dick had to bang around with Okongwu for a couple possessions at a time. The Raptors kept the Hawks at bay, always prepared with a stiff arm. The first 7-0 run the Raptors allowed at the front end of the fourth was answered accordingly. When they gave up a second 7-0 run near the 6 minute mark — largely due to some great doubling from the Hawks defense — the Raptors snapped back into the swing of things with a block at the rim from Walter on Okongwu and an unstoppable transition run out for an and-1 from Barnes. Punch. Counterpunch.
Of course, on his night (at least from a narrative standpoint), Murray-Boyles wasn’t just closing, but impacting everything. Fighting and collecting a loose ball before locating Ingram for a triple. Cleaning the glass. Scoring on the roll. Finding the inbetween, navigating the space around the Raptors shot makers (mostly Barrett down the stretch), and posturing as a seasoned pro.
The Raptors beat the Hawks handily in this one, and on the season (sweeping the series 4-0). There wasn’t a single Raptor above 20 points on the night, and while their were some quality performances around the roster, none were louder than what Magneto was able to provide.
A bash bro. A quick thinker. A winner.
Have a blessed day.
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