The Hawks had an exciting 121-120 victory over the Toronto Raptors with a horn hitting Tony Snell’s three to improve to 5-1 under Nate McMillan and 17-20 in the season.
First quarter
The Hawks came out with a starting lineup from Trae Young, Kevin Huerter, Tony Snell, John Collins and Clint Chapel. Perhaps some fans expected to see Bogdanovic start, but for now, it looks like he will help lead the alternate unit for Atlanta. For Toronto, Deandre Bembry joined Kyle Lowry, Aron Baynes, Norman Powell and Stanley Johnson on the starting lineup.
The Hawks came out scorching with a 14-4 run out of the gate. They would lead 37-26 after one. Trae Young led all of the top scorers with 11. Gallinari helped in a big way with eight off the bench, and the Atlanta defense made four impressive blocks, with Chapel and Okongwu looking solid in their minutes.
Second Quarter
The Hawks started the second quarter with Rondo, Hill, Gallo, Bogi and Okongwu. Rondo lit the Atlanta scoreboard with a deep three followed by a beautiful finish from Okongwu in a dunk. The next possession for the Hawks was another three made by Rondo, giving them a 45-29 advantage. A Solomon Hill three would then end an 11-0 run from the bank unit.
However, the Raptors responded, scoring in a flurry going into a 10-0 run, reducing the lead to nine before the Hawks’ timeout. After the break, Young unusually missed two consecutive free throws and Terence Davis had a good finish to further narrow the gap.
The Hawks ended up holding on to the Raptors, ending the first half with five – 64-59. The story of the first half was certainly Trae Young’s ability to reach the line, hitting nine of his twelve attempts. He would finish the half with 20 points in 5/12 general shots. Norman Powell led the score for Raps with 18.
Third quarter
Kevin Huerter opened the scoring in the second half with a beautiful mid-range jump – a Red Velvet staple – in Atlanta’s first ball possession, but the rest of the quarter would belong to the Raptors. They took the lead a few minutes later, and after a Trae Young tray to tie the game, Toronto went on a run to put them in ten in the final period.
Fourth trimester
The Hawks came out strong to start fourth, reducing the lead to five after a wild Young submission by contact caused a Toronto timeout.
However, after the break, Toronto hit three consecutive kicks to gain his biggest advantage of the night, 13. Chris Boucher crowned the series 8-0 with his three seconds of the game. The Hawks would then ask for their own time limit with 8:47 left, waiting for another miraculous comeback like Orlando’s before the All-Star break.
With 3:47 to go, the Hawks reduced the lead to five after Young’s deep three, and another three from Gallo emerged between a few stops to Atlanta. The Hawks then asked for a timeout after Collins pulled a load. A pair of free throws from Huerter knocked the Hawks down just three with 3:29 remaining.
After a few back and forth scores for both teams, Trae Young hit a difficult driving tray to place the Hawks in two points with less than forty seconds to finish. Atlanta would look for one more stop and a bucket to avoid the burst lead. They got the stop they wanted, but an unfortunate hit by Collins gave Toronto another possession. However, Bembry would miss a faded floater with just 10 seconds to go, giving the Hawks a two-shot chance with the ball.
After the time limit, Trae Young drove to the edge and bounced the ball to Tony Snell for an open three, which he filled the bell to give the Hawks what can only be described as a complete roller coaster. In a racing game, the Hawks had the biggest when it mattered, winning the race 121-120.
Overview
Trae Young would end the night with 37 points, but his best play of the night would, of course, be his sixth and final assist to Tony Snell. Gallinari had a good offensive display, scoring 20 in 10 shots and hitting four three. Capela made another monstrous rebound game, ending with 19 boards to go along with five blocks. While still not playing his best basketball, Rondo finished +6 for the Hawks and helped load the bench unit in crucial minutes with Young resting.
The Raptors will be upset to waste a jewel by Chris Boucher, who finished the game with 29 points on 10/15. Norm Powell continued his impressive score before the break, losing 33 points and almost covering the victory with some huge kicks in the end.
In short, the Hawks’ attack came at the end, and the defense did just enough when it mattered to win. It wasn’t pretty, but it was a victory that the Hawks will appreciate.
The Hawks are back home on Saturday against the Kings for a 7:30 am match.
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