The Atlanta Hawks beat the Toronto Raptors, 126-125, in nail-biting fashion on Sunday night at State Farm Arena. Dejounte Murray was a late scratch in this contest due to right hamstring tightness, and Toronto was missing Immanuel Quickley (quadricep), R.J. Barrett (knee), and Jakob Poetltl (ankle) in this game.
Atlanta’s offense came out rolling, taking advantage of their size without Poeltl. Clint Capela went straight to work in the paint. Jalen Johnson found Capela on a few dives to the rim for some easy dunks. Bey was active early, using his strength on the offensive glass. The Hawks went on a 10-2 run to take a 24-14 lead early. On one possession, Patty Mills hustled to grab his own rebound leading to an Onyeka Okongwu slam. Atlanta collected a whopping 24 points in the paint in less than 10 minutes. For Toronto, Jontay Porter hit back-to-back threes off the bench, and historic “Hawks-killer” Jordan Nwora gave the Raptors a much-needed offensive boost. The Hawks took a 34-26 lead into the second quarter with Capela leading the way, collecting 10 points and five rebounds.
Trae Young’s elite playmaking was on full display, hitting Capela and Onyeka Okongwu for easy rolls to the rim. Okongwu posterized Porter on a lob from Young to send Hawks fans into a frenzy. However, the Raptors stole the momentum with an 11-2 run. Nwora scored eight of the 11 points giving the Raptors their first lead at 37-36. At this point, Toronto knocked down 8-13 shots from downtown- an area in which they normally struggle. The Raptors bench picked up their star, Scottie Barnes, who scored his first points on an and-one midway through the second quarter. In a strange sequence, the Hawks forced two live-ball turnovers but failed to convert them into points. On the next possession, Young drew a charge, and Toronto grabbed a 71-67 lead heading into halftime. Atlanta shot just 1-13 from deep in the first half, but the points in the paint and second-chance buckets kept the Hawks in striking distance.
In the third quarter, Bogdan Bogdanović knocked down two early threes. He was 3-5 from beyond the arc, but the rest of the team was 0-15 at this point. Johnson was more aggressive in the second half, throwing down multiple slams over Toronto’s defense. Atlanta took an 80-76 lead but could not put the Raptors away. Bey’s constant aggression paid off when he stole a rebound surrounded by three Raptors for an and-one continuing to impose his strength in the paint. Atlanta finally captured a rhythm from downtown, shooting 3-8 from deep in the third quarter to take a 97-95 lead into the final frame.
To start the fourth, Young and Johnson connected on numerous pick-and-rolls leading to thunderous dunks. Bogdanović bailed out the Hawks with a three just in front of the logo as the shot clock winded down to send State Farm Arena into a frenzy. Atlanta took a 114-107 lead, but the Raptors kept coming back. Barnes found his rhythm in the second half, and former Hawk Dennis Schroder got a layup after some defensive miscommunication to make it a one-possession game. With just over a minute left, Gary Trent Jr. silenced the crowd with a three to give Toronto a 121-120 lead. Young hit a floater to give the Hawks back the lead; however, after a Hawks’ defensive stop, the Raptors trapped Young at halfcourt and forced a turnover. Barnes got a dunk to take a one-point lead. On the final possession, Young put up a floater that just bounced off the rim, but Bey came flying in from the weak side to slam home a putback, sending Hawks fans home happy.
Despite shooting 0-6 from three, Bey finished with 26 points (10-15 FT) and 13 rebounds. Young totaled a 30-point, 12-assist double-double, while Capela recorded 19 points and 14 boards. Bogdanović shot an efficient 7-11 from the field for 24 points and added two steals and two blocks. Johnson added another double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Okongwu was the only man to score off the bench for Atlanta with 10.
For Toronto, Barnes finished with 24 points and eight assists, doing most of his damage in the second half. Trent Jr. shot 4-8 from downtown for 16 points, while Schroder put up 14 points and six dimes. Toronto’s bench stepped up big in this contest. Porter totaled 12 points, rookie Gradey Dick added 15 and Nwora scored 24 points. The Raptors bench outscored Atlanta’s reserves 56-10.
The Hawks host the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night for their next contest. State Farm Arena is always packed when the Lakers come to town. Hawks fans will need to show the Lakers and their fans that Atlanta supports its home team to drown out the Lakers supporters.
