The Atlanta Hawks were down three with 2.9 seconds remaining in Thursday’s game against the Toronto Raptors. However, Onyeka Okonwu’s desperation three-point shot was off the mark and the Raptors walked away with the 122-119 victory at State Farm Arena. Scottie Barnes scored 25 points and Bruce Brown added 18 off the bench.
The victory is significant because it is only Toronto’s second win on the road this season. Jacob Poeltl and Chris Boucher added 18 points each.
Barnes hit a difficult floater with 55 seconds left to give the Raptors a 120-117 lead, ultimately that lead would hold up.
“We did a good job getting back into the game,” Hawks point guard Trae Young explained. “We dug ourselves too big of a hole to start. And that being on a back to back is no excuse or anything like that. So we got to come out better, and one of 82 we got to be ready for the next one.”
Notably, Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 23 points as he bounced back from a poor shooting night Wednesday.
“I have that confidence in him,” Hawks head coach Quin Snyder said. “And, you know, he finished the game as well. He was doing a lot of good things out there, you know, like I said, going to the basket and being aggressive, shooting the ball when he needed to. And, you know, everybody on that bench has confidence in them, coaches and players.”
Also, Hawks forward Jalen Johnson injured his left shoulder when he fouled Barnes in the second quarter. He did not return to the game and his status for Saturday is uncertain. Johnson entered Thursday’s action averaging 19.3 points and 10.2 rebounds.
The Hawks will return to State Farm Arena Saturday night to face the Toronto Raptors once again.