The Atlanta Hawks beat the Toronto Raptors by a nail-biter of 121-120. Beginning in the first quarter the Hawks came out looking to score. Moving the ball was essential in their leading stretch of 37-26. The Hawks have made adjustments to the game by slowing the ball down to create open shots. Norman Powell led the Toronto Raptors with 12 points just in the first and throughout the game. However it wasn’t enough in the first to contain the Hawks shooting at 51% from the field.
Star Of Game
The Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young began the game immediately looking to score and finishing at the rim. Using his crafty dribbling ability Young finds himself at the free throw line a lot during the second quarter. It seems as though he was everywhere on the floor; he ends the game with 37 points,5 rebounds and 6 assists. Averaging 26 points per game along with 9 assists this season are solid numbers for the young guard. Trae Young and the Hawks taking advantage on both sides of the floor showed how the team has the ability to work together.
Biggest Concern
The most concerning thing is that the Hawks only won by a single against the Toronto Raptors. Despite the Raptors being down 3 starters they continued to battle the entire game. Most of the Hawks shots during their 19 point lead were from three point range but could still be a issue for them when teams play defense. However, both teams were crashing the boards in the first half. In order to cut down the lead, the Raptors stepped their defense up in the second quarter which kept them close in the game. Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam average 40 points on the floor combined. Clearly, the Raptors missed that scoring output. The win for the Hawks was scrappy only with them winning by one point so other players need to be more efficient.
Surprised Contributor
Norman Powell kept the Toronto Raptors within the game as he contributed 33-3-4 against the Atlanta Hawks. On average Powell brings 18 points to the floor but with quite a few teammates being out he looked to score more than usual. Powell along with the Toronto Raptors came out the strongest in the third quarter scoring and getting right to the basket. The swinging of the ball from the Raptors did nothing but create open shots to start the second half. Although the Raptors lost by a very close game, Norman Powell did an exceptional job leading the team on the road.
Next Game
Vs. Sacramento Kings, Saturday March 13th at 4:30pm Pacific
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