Hawks star player Trae Young led was the leading scorer on the night, with 28 points and 13 assists.
The Raptors jumped on the Hawks early taking the 34-28 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Raptors’ offense played well balanced as every starter scored. Raptors guard Norman Powell led the Raptors in scoring in the quarter with eight points.
An offensive explosion occurred in the second half between both teams but the Hawks benefited from it the most. They led 66-63 at halftime as Young’s facilitation on offense helped forward Clint Capela lead in scoring at the half with 11 points. Young was right behind him with 10 points.
The Hawks started off the second half with a quick 7-0 run in the first 1:37. Capela scored two buckets in the paint while Young added three free throws. The Hawks led 73-63. In a matter of seconds, the Raptors responded with an 8-0 run cutting the Hawks lead to two with 8:40 to go in the third quarter.
Both teams took a lot of free throws late in the quarter but the Hawks were able to maintain the lead, 101-94 heading into the fourth quarter.
The Hawks continued to answer and get much-needed buckets throughout the game. After forward John Collins made both free throws, the Hawks led 123-116 with 1:25 to go.
After the Raptors were unable to convert, the Hawks had a chance to ice the game. This time, guard Kevin Huerter stepped up. Knocking down a deep three-pointer to put the Hawks up by 10 with 53.4 seconds to go in regulation. That was all that was needed as free throws and late points by the Raptors made the final score 132-121.
The Hawks will travel to Dallas to take on the Mavericks Wednesday before coming back home to host the San Antonio Spurs Friday.
