Canada Sports News

Toronto Raptors had to go deep in order to beat the Atlanta Hawks this Saturday night. The final result was 119-116 for the champions, but the young Hawks had a shot to tied the game.

However, Trae Young missed it. It would be a shocker for the guests, who had a 12-point lead just 1:59 before the end, When Pascal Siakam hit two free-throws, the Raptors pulled away to 112-100, and for many, it was the end of the match.

But not for the youngsters from Georgia. They made several stops, hit a couple of big-time shots, and following DeAndre Hunter’s three with 25.8 seconds to go, they came down to 116-113. Fred VanVleet sunk two free throws, but then again, Hunter drilled a downtown bomb. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson scored just one of his two free throws, leaving the possibility for the hosts to make a comeback. Yet, Young, who had an excellent night, couldn’t pull it off.

“It sucks that we lost, but if we play like, it’s going to be tough to beat us,” Young said.

Atlanta’s point guard had a triple-double with 30 points, 10 boards, and assists each.

After an opening quarter in which neither of the sides had some notable lead, Atlanta managed to get the edge and to keep it all the way until the late third period. The biggest difference was with 7:52 until the end of the third period, when Young hit a two-pointer, to pull the Hawks up to a 10-point distance, 72-62.

The Raptors would make a few stops, start playing much better in the offense, and eventually showcase the difference in quality. According to VanVleet, the catch was in playing good defense, which would later boost the attack.

“That’s the name of the game,” he said. “We track how many consecutive stops we got. We came out of the half and had two stops, two 3s and just built from there.”

VanVleet had 25 points, and 9 assists, but also recorded 5 turnovers. Norman Powell did an excellent job with 20 buckets, while Chris Boucher scored 13 and had 8 rebounds.

Pascal Siakam led the way for the Raptors. The MIP of the previous season ended the night with 34 points, shooting 11 for 18 and 4 for 6 from downtown. This was his sixth 30+point game this season.

On the other side, besides Trae Young, DeAndre Hunter was instrumental. The rookie forward closed the game hitting six of his 10 three-point attempts, totaling for 26 buckets. Jabari Parker had 13 and 7 boards. The Hawks had 52.2% from the game, but failed to win.

This was sixth lost game in a row for Atlanta (4-12) who started the season solidly but slowed down recently. They will have a chance to snap this negative streak already on Monday, when Minnesota Timberwolves come to town.

On the other side, Toronto (12-4) play five of their next six games at Scotiabank Arena and have a nice opportunity for improving their record and catching up that No.1 seed in the Eastern Conference. The first rivals are going to be the Philadelphia 76ers, after that the New York Knicks.