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The Hawks clinched a thrilling 121-120 win over the Toronto Raptors with a trio beating the buzzer Tony Snell to go 5-1 under Nate McMillan and 17-20 this season.
First shift
The Hawks came out with a starting lineup consisting of Trae Young, Kevin Huerter, Tony Snell, John Collins and Clint Capela. Maybe some fans were expecting Bogdanovic to start, but for now it looks like he will help lead the bench unit for Atlanta. For Toronto, Deandre Bembry joined Kyle Lowry, Aron Baynes, Norman Powell and Stanley Johnson in 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 scorers with 11. Gallinari largely assisted with eight off the bench, and the Atlanta defense made an impressive four blocks, with Capela and Okongwu looking solid in their minutes.
Second Trimester
The Hawks started the second quarter with Rondo, Hill, Gallo, Bogi and Okongwu. Rondo ignited Atlanta’s scoreline with a deep three followed by a fine Okongwu finish on a handed dunk. The next possession for the Hawks was another three made by Rondo to give them a 45-29 lead. A Solomon Hill three would then cap an 11-0 run by the bench unit.
However, the Raptors responded, scoring in a flurry on a 10-0 run, reducing the lead to nine before a Hawks timeout. After the break, Young unusually missed two consecutive free throws, and Terence Davis had a nice finish to close the gap even further.
The Hawks ultimately stood up to the Raptors, finishing the first half 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 out of 5/12 in total. Norman Powell led the scoring for the Raps with 18.
Third quarter
Kevin Huerter opened the scoring in the second half with a nice midrange jumper – a Red Velvet staple – on Atlanta’s first possession, but the rest of the quarter would be up to the Raptors. They took the lead minutes later, and after a face-off from Trae Young to tie the game, Toronto went on a run to put them ten ahead in the final period.
Fourth trimester
The Hawks came out strong to start the fourth, reducing the lead to five after a wild contact end by Young that caused a timeout in Toronto.
However, after the break, Toronto hit three straight shots to earn their biggest lead of the night, 13. Chris Boucher capped the run 8-0 with his three seconds of the game. The Hawks would then call a timeout with 8.47am left, hoping for another miracle return like Orlando’s before the All-Star break.
With 3:47 to go, the Hawks reduced the lead to five after a deep three from Young, and three more from Gallo came in between a few saves for Atlanta. The Hawks then called a timeout after Collins fired a charge. A pair of Huerter free throws then knocked the Hawks down just three with 3:29 left.
After some round-trip scores for both teams, Trae Young hit a tough driving layup to put the Hawks down two with less than forty seconds to go. Atlanta would be looking for one more stop and a bucket to avoid the burnt lead. They got the save they wanted, but an unfortunate rebound over Collins gave Toronto another possession. However, Bembry would miss a fade float with just 10 seconds left, giving the Hawks a chance to lose two with the ball.
After the timeout, Trae Young walked over to the edge and popped the ball to Tony Snell for a wide open three, which he boxed to the buzzer to give the Hawks what can only be described as a full roller coaster. In a racing game, the Hawks had the biggest when it counted, ultimately winning the contest 121-120.
Overview
Trae Young would end the night with 37 points, but his best game of the night would, of course, be his sixth and final assist to Tony Snell. Gallinari was fined offensively, scoring 20 of 10 shots and hitting four threes. Capela had another monster bounce game, finishing with 19 boards to go with five blocks. While still not playing his best basketball, Rondo finished +6 for the Hawks and helped carry the bench unit in crucial minutes with Young at rest.
The Raptors will be upset to waste a gem from Chris Boucher, who finished the game with 29 shooting points 10/15. Norm Powell continued his impressive score before the break, dropping 33 points and almost freezing the win with a few big shots late.
Overall, the Hawks’ offense finally came through and the defense did just enough when it was important to get the win. It wasn’t pretty, but it was a win the Hawks will appreciate.
The Hawks are back on Saturday against the Kings for a 7:30 am prediction.
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