Game Thread: Hawks vs Raptors -- 2/7

[Jamaaliver]

Read on Twitter

Leonard leads Toronto into matchup with Atlanta

Kawhi Leonard leads Toronto into a matchup against Atlanta. He ranks seventh in the NBA averaging 27.3 points per game.

The Hawks are 12-23 against Eastern Conference opponents. Atlanta is the Eastern Conference leader with 11.7 offensive rebounds per game, led by John Collins averaging 3.8 .

The Raptors have gone 17-11 away from home. Toronto is third in the Eastern Conference scoring 50 points in the paint per game, led by Pascal Siakam averaging 10.0. The Raptors earned a victory in the last meeting between these two teams on Jan. 8. Leonard led Toronto with 31 points and Collins led Atlanta with 21 points.

TOP PERFORMERS:

Collins has averaged 19.6 points and 10.0 rebounds for the Hawks. Trae Young has averaged 8.7 assists and scored 21 points over the last 10 games for Atlanta.

Leonard is averaging 27.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists for the Raptors. Kyle Lowry has averaged 6.7 assists and scored 13.5 points over the last 10 games for Toronto.

LAST 10 GAMES:

Raptors: 6-4, averaging 113.8 points, 43.7 rebounds, 24.6 assists, 8.6 steals and 4.4 blocks per game while shooting 45.3 per cent from the field. Their opponents have averaged 108.7 points on 45.4 per cent shooting.

Hawks: 5-5, averaging 118.5 points, 44.7 rebounds, 26.7 assists, 7.9 steals and 4.3 blocks per game while shooting 48.3 per cent from the field. Their opponents have averaged 120.4 points on 48.7 per cent shooting.

Associated Press

[Jamaaliver]

Conspiracy Theory Time:

I can't help but notice...Hawks normally do positional matchups in their pregame advertisements released via Twitter.

Spoiler:

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

Note that Opposing SF Kawhi is pictured above...but not Taurean opposite him.

My guess is that the marketing department is aware Taurean is on the trade block and intentionally left him out of the marquee.


FWIW

[Jamaaliver]

Opposing Team's view:

Good team vs. bad team, a tale as old as time. The 39-16 Raptors face-off against the 18-35 Hawks, who will emerge champion? Ideally and realistically it should be the Raptors coming out on top in this one. Even though the Raptors have had a bit of trouble dispensing with their closest competitors (Celtics, Bucks), it shouldn’t be too much of an ask for them to take care of the Hawks.

This game could be plenty of fun, though. The Hawks play the Association’s fastest brand of basketball, and watching John Collins catch lobs is a pleasure even when he’s doing it on your team. Taurean Prince and Kevin Huerter a quality wing duo, and Jeremy Lin has a soft spot in my heart – gotta love a pick n’ roll maestro. Oh yes, and hopefully a lot of absurd Trae Young pull-ups.

Despite the quality of Prince/Huerter, there should be a clear advantage for the Raptors in this one. Kawhi Leonard remains one of the league’s top-7 players and with no one particularly menacing waiting at the rim, look for him to spend a lot of the game headed toward the bucket. Especially once you consider how often he was rewarded with free throws against the 76ers (17 attempts), he’ll likely look to grab more easy points.

Collins/Pascal Siakam is far and away the best matchup in this game as the two athletic bigs battle it out. Collins is particularly impressive vertically, and Siakam, horizontally.

the Raptors will have to dedicate a good deal of effort to the defensive glass. Collins nabs nearly 4 offensive boards a game, and the Hawks are one of the league’s best at putting pressure on the offensive glass. Jonas Valanciunas’ return seems to be on the horizon and that could be extremely helpful as far as the defensive glass is concerned.

Raptors Republic

Spoiler:

Seen in the Game Thread on the Raptors Forum:

TORONTO RAPTORS







.vs.

ATLANTA HAWKS

[Mikistan]

Good luck to you guys, hope you;re enjoying mini-curry! i like him way more than sexton

[Spud2nique]

Good luck to you guys, hope you;re enjoying mini-curry! i like him way more than sexton

Thanks but he’s not...

Thanks

[macd-gm]

Good luck to you guys, hope you;re enjoying mini-curry! i like him way more than sexton

Thanks. Congrats on a great season. Is that a back handed compliment? I like ice cream way more than salt water taffy.

[Mikistan]

Good luck to you guys, hope you;re enjoying mini-curry! i like him way more than sexton

Thanks. Congrats on a great season. Is that a back handed compliment? I like ice cream way more than salt water taffy.

Haha not at all, i was just trying to remember what rookie point guards i had seen this year, and comparing the 5th pick to the 8th pick seems reasonable.

Although, I guess Trae will always be compared to Luka because of the trade, eh.


Trae has game, and he should only become better offensively with time, i wonder if he is undersized at 6 foot 2 , althought it cant be as bad as being as short as Lowry in the lane.

Trae always put me off at the beginning of the season because of his hair ... or eyebrows ... i dunno he just isn't as pretty as some other guys lol

[Atlanta Hawk Fan]

Good luck to you guys, hope you;re enjoying mini-curry! i like him way more than sexton

Thanks. Congrats on a great season. Is that a back handed compliment? I like ice cream way more than salt water taffy.

Haha not at all, i was just trying to remember what rookie point guards i had seen this year, and comparing the 5th pick to the 8th pick seems reasonable.

Although, I guess Trae will always be compared to Luka because of the trade, eh.


Trae has game, and he should only become better offensively with time, i wonder if he is undersized at 6 foot 2 , althought it cant be as bad as being as short as Lowry in the lane.

Trae always put me off at the beginning of the season because of his hair ... or eyebrows ... i dunno he just isn't as pretty as some other guys lol

He has come a long way since the start of the year and has been killing it in 2019. We are pretty unanimously very excited about Collins, Young and Huerter.

[dms269]

Why can't we have games at like 3 or 5?

[macd-gm]

Good luck to you guys, hope you;re enjoying mini-curry! i like him way more than sexton

Thanks. Congrats on a great season. Is that a back handed compliment? I like ice cream way more than salt water taffy.

Haha not at all, i was just trying to remember what rookie point guards i had seen this year, and comparing the 5th pick to the 8th pick seems reasonable.

Although, I guess Trae will always be compared to Luka because of the trade, eh.


Trae has game, and he should only become better offensively with time, i wonder if he is undersized at 6 foot 2 , althought it cant be as bad as being as short as Lowry in the lane.

Trae always put me off at the beginning of the season because of his hair ... or eyebrows ... i dunno he just isn't as pretty as some other guys lol

Yes it'll be luka and trae compared forever. They are both looking good. I was never a Sexton fan but he's doing ok.

I wonder if the rumor of the Raps offering Lowry in trade will affect him.

[fuzzy1]

No Valanciunas tonight, Marc to Toronto. Interesting trade.

[Spud2nique]

Why can't we have games at like 3 or 5?

Why can’t people eat dip for dinner?

[Spud2nique]

Raps favored by 8.5 O/U 234.5

I’d be surprised if we got this but then again they are short handed, and we are playing like a team that’s finding some rhythm.

GO HAWKS!!!

[jayu70]

Read on Twitter

?s=20

[Hazer]

Why can't we have games at like 3 or 5?

Why can’t people eat dip for dinner?

Oh, I had not heard. What, am I doing it wrong?

[bws94]

Gasol won't be playing for the Raps tonight, right?

[lethalweapon3]

Are we all, like, still here?

Okay. I heard that sources had me getting traded to New Orleans for King Cake Baby and a second-round pick-swap. But I’ll just keep on typing up this pregame thread on the Atlanta Hawks’ return to State Farm Arena to face the residual Toronto Raptors (7:30 PM Eastern, Fox Sports Southeast and 92.9 FM in ATL, TSN1/TSN4 in TOR). Until I get a tap on my shoulder, or something.

The Raptors, of course, made their big gamble in the offseason. GM Masai Ujiri hoped that upgrading DeMar DeRozan and Jakob Poeltl into Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green, and handing over Dwane Casey’s head coaching job full-time to offensive guru Nick Nurse, would be enough to finally push the reigning Eastern Conference regular season champs, in this brave new post-LeBron world, into the NBA Finals.

But Milwaukee grabbed a former Coach of the Year, just as Toronto parted with theirs. Philadelphia tidied up their shady front office. And both clubs have made major moves since the season began, the Bucks bolstering their bench, the 76ers improving their options at forward and center.

Boston and Indiana, the latter without their superstar, are not showing signs of going away anytime soon. Six games currently separate the East’s top five contenders, and in this game of musical chairs, nobody wants the music to stop in April without a first round homecourt seat.

How have the Raptors (39-16) fared lately? Well, fine, I suppose. Holding onto the second-seed in the East, two games behind the Bucks and 3.5 ahead of Boston and Indy, is a nice bubble to be sitting in as the calendar turns to the All-Star Break. But especially after the moving and shaking that occurred today (not here, naturally, unless you’re counting Shelvin Mack and Jabari Bird), it’s clear that “just fine” won’t be enough for Ujiri’s Raptors to ensure a trip to the Conference Finals.

Toronto blazed to a spiffy 23-7 start to the season, including an easy 124-108 win here, without Leonard, on November 21. It was a stretch capped by a sound 20-point trouncing of the Warriors in Oakland, again without the load-managing Leonard, on December 12. But then Kyle Lowry (sore back) and backup center Jonas Valanciunas (thumb) suffered through injuries and downtime, too.

Both of the KLs bounced in and out of the lineup but have been inconsistent with their shooting. The headliners’ on-and-off struggles -- to be on the floor together, to build chemistry as a tandem -- are attributable to Toronto generally treading water since mid-December (12-9 since Dec. 12). A 34.5 percent shooting mark from three-point territory (23rd in NBA; 33.5% and 25th since Dec. 15), on the season, is fine, but not championship-caliber, and not exemplary of a team who turned to an offensive guru to run the whole shebang.

A big part of the problem during this phase has been a lack of creativity on offense. Leonard milking away the shot clock, Lowry striving to beat his man off the dribble, Green putting the ball on the floor rather than catch-and-shooting, the bigs posting up ad nauseum. Since December 15, the Raps’ 57.5 PPG created via assists ranks seventh-worst in The Association – the only other club doing worse with a winning record is Houston, and we all know why.

The difference in games has been stark. Games like the one in November versus the Hawks, when Lowry piled up 17 assists (2 TOs), were a breeze. Games like the January 8 rematch in Toronto, where Lowry was “just fine” (6 assists, 3 TOs) but needed lots of help from Delon Wright and Kawhi to move the ball effectively, were more of the “Whoa, Nellie” variety. The Raptors escaped that game by a slim 104-101 margin, despite cranking out 26 turnovers from Hawks players.

No winning club, including Harden’s Rockets, is producing 7.7 assists or fewer among every 100 passes like Toronto. It’s a big reason why Ujiri made one of the biggest Trade Deadline moves today. It’s also why, if you’re a Raptors frontcourt player that was preparing for today’s game in Atlanta, you’re not feeling so good.

Longtime Memphis mainstay Marc Gasol is on his way to join the Raptors, and his ability to make pin-point passes from the high post will enliven the Toronto offense. Eventually. Just not tonight. Valanciunas went from planning his grand return here in Atlanta to hopping on the first thing smoking to Memphis, and he’s taking C.J. Miles and Wright with him.

Greg Monroe is headed to Hartsfield-Jackson as well, having been moved to Brooklyn with a second-rounder in exchange for that well-known bruiser, Cash Considerations. Today’s maneuvers leave the Raps to field ten active bodies for tonight game against the Hawks, not counting two-way players.

Recent pickup Patrick McCaw will certainly see an uptick in playing time in the backcourt, as will Norman Powell, who has bounced back a little (46.2 3FG% last 14 games) after a disastrous 2017-18 campaign. As for the frontcourt, expect to see bouncy but wiry two-way player Chris Boucher pulling double-duty behind Pascal Siakam and Serge Ibaka. Boucher just scored 34 points and 12 rebounds for Raptors 905 at a G-League game in Wisconsin last night.

It’s Lunar New Year Night here at The Farm, and Jeremy Lin will get to celebrate the Year of the Earth Pig festivities in a Hawks uniform. Lin, Kent Bazemore, Dewayne Dedmon and others are probably a little surprised to see themselves still here after all the Trade Deadline smoke cleared, to say nothing of many Hawks fans. But for the foreseeable future, the veterans ought to see themselves in supporting roles as Atlanta’s young core learns how to scratch out victories.

Both teams sought out the Grizzlies for strategic improvements to their roster, but for vastly different reasons. The man with nine lives, Shelvin Mack was acquired yet again by Atlanta, this time in exchange for Tyler Dorsey -- Daniel Hamilton had to hit the waiver wire to make room. We won’t be shelvin’ Mack this time around, though, as GM Travis Schlenk is putting him and Celtics tradee Jabari Bird on waivers, too. Cap space something something, I guess. But Atlanta’s diminished depth at the guard spots won’t compare to what Toronto faces upfront, for the moment.

Bloodied but unbowed after a big night in Washington was cut short, John Collins (15 points and 11 rebounds in 16.5 minutes @ WAS) ought to be able to feast on the Raptors’ thin front line. When he needs a spell, he’ll increasingly count on Omari Spellman, who caught the Wizards napping (4-for-6 3FGs, 10 rebounds) in a relief role during Atlanta’s 137-129 road win on Monday.

The 129-point tally by the Wizards, who made frantic comebacks throughout the game, was the highest amount scored by a Hawks opponent catching an L since 1990. That’s the new normal for the fast-and-furious Hawks, coached by Lloyd Pierce and conducted ever more capably by Trae Young (2-for-13 FGs @ WAS, but 10 assists and 1 TO; last 7 games, 9.0 APG, 2.9 TOs/game). Not a single Hawk coughed up more than two turnovers (12 player TOs) in that contest, something Leonard and the Raptors (8.4 steals per-48, t-9th w/ ATL) hope to change tonight at the start of the Hawks' February homestand.

A two-time former Defensive Player of the Year, Leonard hopes his Raptors can do whatever they can, short of getting in foul trouble, of controlling the tempo and making the Hawks (NBA-high 104.9 pace) settle for Plan B and Plan C plays. If Kawhi, Siakam and Lowry can get Atlanta (NBA-high 23.6 personal fouls per-48) to engage in a hackfest, too, Toronto hopes they can rely on their superior free throw shooting (81.6 road FT%, 3rd in NBA) to gain the late edge.

Even with their recent malaise, the Raptors have been “just fine”. They’ve had only one categorically “bad” loss since mid-December, a 29-point loss at Orlando (thank you, kind sirs). Like the Hawks, they come into tonight’s affair looking for a third-straight win, having just beaten the Sixers in Philly two nights ago. But with a relatively easy upcoming slate of games, Toronto wants to go into the All-Star Break leaving the impression they will be more than “just fine” by the time their sixth-consecutive playoff appearance arrives.



Annnnd, it looks like we’re all still here. None of us got Harrison Barnesed? Great!

Let’s Go Hawks!
~lw3

[ducler]

Read on Twitter

[lethalweapon3]

Correcting myself: no flights from Oshkosh or wherever the Herd play, so no Chris Boucher tonight:

Read on Twitter

Look for OG Anunoby to play more minutes at the 4-spot to beef up the frontcourt behind Siakam and Ibaka.

Oh and no Kawhi either. Somebody in Vegas is busy right now.

Read on Twitter

~lw3

[King Ken]

Hawks win by 30.