The dark times for the Toronto Raptors continue to grow darker after suffering a heartbreaking loss to the hands of the Atlanta Hawks by a score of 126-125. In a game where the Raptors were without three starters, they were in it till the end and even were in a position to leave Atlanta with a win. However, poor defence would be the big deterrent in their efforts to come away with a win.
RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley joined Jakob Poeltl on the sideline making this a tough game for Toronto to thug out. Scottie Barnes took the responsibility of being the number one option tonight and flourished. He finished with 24 points, four rebounds and eight assists. He wasn’t alone in his efforts as newcomer Jordan Nwora received his first substantial minutes as a Raptor and was extremely impressive. Nwora finished with 24 points, nine rebounds and six assists off the bench.
Toronto’s bench productivity has been a huge question mark for the entire season, but great developmental strides were made in this game. Gradey Dick stepped up with the lack of Raptors’ personnel available and notched the second-most points of his young career with 15 points, five rebounds and a team-high net rating of +19.
Despite tremendous offensive performances, the Raptors struggled preventing the Hawks from doing the same. Trae Young was dominant with 30 points and 12 assists alongside Saadiq Bey who finished with 26 points and 13 rebounds. Bogdan Bogdanovic added 24 points, tantalizing the Raptors defence.
The Raptors’ lack of size and defensive intensity led to their downfall as Bey followed a Young missed layup for a wide-open putback dunk to win the game for Atlanta. Notching the 20th offensive rebound for this team as they outrebounded the Raptors 20-15.
Toronto committed nine more fouls and wasn’t able to close out defensive possessions with a rebound resulting in the outcome of this game. Despite the loss, it was a great testament to the development of this young group that’s still figuring out how to play together. The Raptors have now lost five games in a row and will get ready for the Windy City as they face the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday, January 30, at 8 PM ET.
