[Game Thread]Atlanta Hawks Vs Raptors

[OVB]

Just your friendly neighbor making your gamethread for y'all.

Thoughts?

[Jamaaliver]

^Thanks for getting the ball rolling, OVB.

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The Toronto Raptors will try to continue their dominance over the Atlanta Hawks when they visit on Saturday night.

The Raptors have won seven in a row against the Hawks, including the last four meetings in Atlanta. Toronto swept the last season's series (3-0) for the second straight season and the third time in franchise history. Saturday's game will be the first of four between the teams this season.

Toronto has won two straight games and is coming off a 113-97 victory over Orlando. Atlanta has lost a season-high five straight after dropping a 128-103 decision at Detroit on Friday. The Hawks have lost eight of their last nine games.

[shakes0]

Just your friendly neighbor making your gamethread for y'all.

Thoughts?

A. Learn how to read a room

B. *********

C. *********

D. Raptors by 40-60 points tonight.


********Edited by Jamaaliver*********

[Jamaaliver]

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[Jamaaliver]

Hey, of course all Raptors fans are welcome in this forum, but be gentle, guys.

Our fanbase is already struggling in the midst of a woeful stretch of losing/injuries/terrible defense.

[DirtybirdGA]

Could ya give us some time? We have the whole day ahead.

[Detective]

Hey, of course all Raptors fans are welcome in this forum, but be gentle, guys.

Our fanbase is already struggling in the midst of a woeful stretch of losing/injuries/terrible defense.

Honestly, I think your timing is just off this year to start the season, that's all. Your GM did an amazing job collecting such young talent, but it will take time to become more cohesive. You already have good pieces. That plus, Trae is a monster, and will only get better.

The season is still extremely young.

[lethalweapon3]

Can you say, “Schedule Loss?”

The reigning NBA champions have spent the end of this week in Atlanta, watching the Hawks saunter out and in of Hartsfield-Jackson after getting smashed like a Cybertruck window in Detroit. Maybe the one thing that could slow down Nick Nurse’s Toronto Raptors, tonight, would be the dreaded ATL Flu. Either that, or, the sin of looking a bit too far ahead.

Don’t mind all the Raptors fans helping to pack State Farm Arena if they seem a bit preoccupied, but the big game isn’t tonight’s affair (7:30 PM Eastern, Fox Sports Southeast and 92.9 FM in ATL, TSN Up Nawf), it’s two days from now. The Philadelphia 76ers will be at Scotiabank Arena, and even in November, it’s hard not to hype that game up as a preview for a huge NBA Playoffs rematch.

Having made mincemeat of the Magic (113-97) and the Hornets (132-96) in recent days, Toronto (10-4) would love to take advantage of an extra day’s rest against a Hawks team that just played in Michigan less than 24 hours ago.

Undefeated at home, the Raptors have had to soldier on in recent weeks without heart-and-soul point guard Kyle Lowry (thumb fracture). Lowry’s prime backup, due to Nurse’s dual-PG starting unit featuring Fred Van Vleet, Patrick McCaw had knee surgery as is out until at least December. Up front, Serge Ibaka is doubtful to play due to an ankle injury, along with lightly used rookie Dewan Hernandez (thumb) and free agent acquisition Stanley Johnson (groin).

Unlike the reigning champs on the Western Conference side of the league, there remains enough championship competency on the floor for the Raps to compete every night. That includes Van Vleet (17.6 PPG, 7.6 APG, 39.4 FG%), the Finals hero who will be the next NBA player to try his hand at getting AND1 sneakers out of WalMart bins. There’s OG Anunoby, a clear front-runner to seize Pascal Siakam’s Most Improved Player trophy (12.2 PPG, 62.1 2FG%, 52.0 3FG%, 5.4 RPG, 1.1 BPG).

Norman Powell has improved his production since sliding into the starting five, as has backup swingman Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, previously dog-housed by Nurse, along with Johnson, due to a lack of defensive intensity. Center Marc Gasol is having the worst statistical run of his career, which absolutely no one cares about (6.4 PPG, 27.7 2FG%, 41.5 3FG%, 3.1 APG) thanks to the NBA and FIBA gold he picked up over the summer. Get a rocking chair out there at the top of the 3-point arc for Big Spain, he’s earned it.

In the middle of it all, there’s Siakam (25.1 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 4.1 APG), who has comfortably elevated into Honorable Mention MVP territory, since Toronto had a Leonard who changed his spot. To keep the floor spread for Siakam, Nurse has been able to plug-and-play Anunoby and human bucket rookies Terence Davis (48.5 3FG%) and Matt Thomas (56.5 3FG%). All the proficient outside shooting options has Toronto leading the league with a 40.1 team 3FG%.

This isn’t just a stand-still offense, either. Keyed by VanVleet, Toronto puts pressure on opposing rims with a league-best 20.2 fastbreak points per-48. Allowing just 11.1 per-48 the other way, the +9.1 net on fastbreak possessions blows away the entire league (the Budball Bucks’ +5.0 is the only team remotely close).

The Raps’ success scoring from deep coaxes opponents into trying to keep up (NBA-high 38.6 opp. 3FGAs), taking unwise, rushed and well-contested jumpers to deleterious effect (33.0 opp. 3FG%, 7th-lowest in NBA) while making Gasol and Siakam’s jobs simple (NBA-high 38.2 D-Rebs per game). The bouncy Chris Boucher has pitched in well lately, too, with rebounding double-doubles in Toronto’s past two wins.

Toronto’s foes are getting their share of extra-chance possessions (TOR’s 70.7 D-Reb% 28th in NBA, just ahead of Atlanta’s poor 70.0%), but they have been woefully unable to convert all those chances into points (13.4 opp. points per-48, barely above league average).

Not everyone is healthy, not every key player is putting up All-Star boxscore numbers nightly, not every shot is going in, especially in the paint. But the way Toronto is structured and trained, not everything has to be going their way to win basketball games.

Quite simply, a well-coached and experienced team like the Raptors pushes the ball up the court with a “Plan A” that’s comprehended by everyone on the floor, and they get back on defense like a team that has studied and knows their assignments well. They’ll play the Hawks (seven straight losses against TOR), who are, at this point, a team.

“It isn’t just fighting,” Atlanta coach Lloyd Pierce finally told the AJC and media members who camped out for an hour after the Hawks’ lackluster 128-103 defeat dropped the team to 4-11 on the season. Competition at this level, LP shared, is “talking, it’s getting back (defensively), it’s the effort, it’s ball reversal, it’s execution, it’s attacking downhill, and creating shots for one another.” Basically, it’s what the Raptors have been doing, with or without Lowry and others available, to be worthy of staying among the NBA East’s Big 5.

Fullcourt communication, with players trying to sort things out and do too much individually, is always an issue on younger teams, which is why Pierce grins-and-bears more of Vince Carter (1-for-6 FGs, 4 TOs, minus-29 in 9.5 minutes) on the floor than he would normally stomach. Relying on Allen Crabbe (29.4 3FG%, 1 assist in his first 88 minutes back on the floor), Alex Len, Damian Jones, and/or Chandler Parsons (a not-bad 3 steals and 8 points in 16 garbage minutes @ DET) for veteran stability, particularly on matters of offensive play and defensive execution, has had exactly the effect one would come to expect.

Allowing the Raptors legend and 21-year veteran, Carter, to retire with some dignity at season’s end will require more effective direction from the young contributors, and not only the ones with experience from past seasons, like Trae Young and DeAndre’ Bembry (career-highs of 22 points and 4 steals, 4-for-5 3FGs, 6 assists @ DET).

Accompanying any lottery rookie blessed with 25+ minutes of gametime per night is the understanding that he will acclimate, to the speed and demands of the pro game, and assert himself as a collaborative leader swiftly. De’Andre Hunter (career-high 4 assists, but 2 rebounds in 35 minutes @ DET) and Cam Reddish (DNP’d on Friday, questionable today with a left wrist sprain) have offered hints that they will not just wait their turn to make positive impressions on the game. Going forward, for Atlanta to get out of the quicksand of their own making, this is no time for Hunter (1 block and 1 steal in past four games) or Reddish to stand to the side and watch as flawed veterans pull them in.

Toronto’s offensive efficiency away from home (104.4 road O-Rating, 10th-lowest in NBA) hasn’t been much better than Atlanta’s (104.3, including last night’s fiasco, 9th-lowest in NBA). The Raptors don’t attack the offensive glass as much (NBA-low 20.9 road O-Reb%), trusting the reliability of their perimeter shots to carry the day, and their turnover rate goes up to 16.7% (t-7th-highest in NBA), compared to 14.0% at home (7th-lowest in NBA).

At the end of their last five-game road trip, this time last week, the Raptors lost in Lukaville, 110-102 (57-45 in the second half). Young Master Doncic helped himself to the charity stripe (15-for-19 FTs), to the ball (15 rebounds, 7 assists), and just about anything else he wanted. Basically, Doncic was like a guest in his own home against the Raps, and one can only hope Trae (45.2 home FG% and 9.0 APG; 41.4% and 8.3 on the road) will enjoy similar treatment. Some clearer-eyed refs whistling on Young’s behalf (6.0 home FTAs, 8.6 on road) wouldn’t hurt.

While Hunter, Bembry and hopefully Reddish will have a role in slowing the Raptors’ from outside, and Bruno Fernando helps to encourage the high-posting Gasol to put the ball on the floor, teammates will need to be disruptive in the paint and with cross-court passes, creating an edge in the turnover battle. Young (1.6 SPG, t-11th in NBA with Bembry) and the rooks will need to make sure their veteran mates aren’t just sitting back in hopes of an easy defensive rebound. Atlanta will give themselves a shot in this contest if they’re not just starting possessions by retrieving the opponent’s ball from the net.

Having been around town for a couple days, Nurse’s Raptors want to waltz into State Farm Arena (four straight wins here) and perform like a team that has made itself at home, undressing Atlanta (minus-16.7 1st Qtr Net Rating, 2nd-worst in NBA), enough in the opening half to make a dress rehearsal, for the Sixers, out of the second half.

It’s up to the Hawks to remind Toronto, everyone else and, most importantly, themselves, whose house it is, anyway. Whether it’s from their experiences here in recent days, or the next game on their schedule back home, an abstracted Raptors team can be tripped up. But which Hawks are willing to pull the Welcome Mat out from under these visitors remains to be seen.



Let’s Go Hawks!

~lw3

[Jamaaliver]

Honestly, I think your timing is just off this year to start the season, that's all. Your GM did an amazing job collecting such young talent, but it will take time to become more cohesive. You already have good pieces. That plus, Trae is a monster, and will only get better.

The season is still extremely young.

Yeah, there's a lot of basketball left to play. We obviously are pleased with Trae's progress. Recent signs point to De'Andre Hunter finally making a big jump and looking like a starting-caliber SF.

Once John Collins and starting SG Kevin Huerter return to the lineup, we could finally look like a cohesive unit.

[Jamaaliver]

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[Tomhomes33]

This is a trap game for Raptors
If they 100% focus they will/should win
If they look over their heads towards City of Brotherly Love they will lose
Simple as that.

[DirtybirdGA]

I doubt it,

I guess since we are east opponents, they can go to Toronto anytime since despite being so close to Detroit...lol

[ducler]

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[CP War Hawks]

Annuoby and hunter is like the spiderman meme. Cam is out tonight which hurts.

Actually wanted to see hunter matched on siakam.

[DirtybirdGA]

Hanging in there. Nice run

[Radioblacktive1]

THIS DEFENSE

[DirtybirdGA]

I figured they'd blow it.

[Radioblacktive1]

good fight though.

[Jamaaliver]

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[SHFT]

Good game guys! Trae is such a wonder to watch. Hunter is a great young player. Bembry quietly had a very nice game. You guys have some realllly nice pieces.

Anything is possible in the EC.

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