Late surge leads Raptors to victory over Hawks

Field Level Media|published: Thu 23rd January, 22:27 2025

Jan 23, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Bogdan Bogdanovic (13) shoots against the Toronto Raptors in the second quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images

RJ Barrett sank a tiebreaking 3-pointer to put Toronto ahead for good with 2:51 remaining, and the visiting Raptors defeated the Atlanta Hawks 122-119 on Thursday.

Scottie Barnes scored a team-high 25 points, Bruce Brown had 18 points off the bench and Chris Boucher and Jakob Poeltl contributed 17 apiece as Toronto won its fourth game in five tries and improved to 2-19 on the road.

Bogdan Bogdanovic led Atlanta with 23 points, while Dyson Daniels added 22 points and Onyeka Okongwu collected 19 points and 12 rebounds. Trae Young tallied 18 points and 13 assists for the Hawks, who dropped their third straight game.

Atlanta used a 10-2 run -- which finished with treys from Hunter and Bogdanovic -- to tie the game at 103 with 7:45 left in the fourth. After a Raptors timeout, Okongwu's dunk and Young's triple gave the Hawks a five-point lead.

Okongwu's free throws put Atlanta up 113-107 before a putback layup from Poeltl began a 7-0 Raptors run.

After Barrett's crucial trey, made a 6-foot shot to slice the Hawks' deficit to one.

With just under a minute left, Barnes' mid-range jumper put Toronto up by three, but Bogdanovic responded by sinking a layup with 40.9 seconds remaining.

On Atlanta's ensuing possession, Young missed a 3-point shot and Hunter missed a layup. Poeltl made two free throws with 2.7 seconds to go, and Okongwu missed a game-tying 3-point attempt as time expired.

Toronto pushed its six-point halftime lead to 13 after Poeltl's hook shot capped a 9-2 Raptors run to begin the third quarter. After Gradey Dick's jumper and Barnes' dunk gave Toronto a 78-65 lead with 8:12 left in the period, De'Andre Hunter's pullup jumper started a 6-0 Atlanta run.

With just over three minutes remaining in the third, Brown's floater gave Toronto a nine-point advantage, but Dominick Barlow's dunk was followed by Bogdanovic's three-point play and Young's layup, cutting Atlanta's deficit to 89-87.

Kelly Olynyk then scored next five points ahead of a Young floater, and Toronto led 94-89 entering the final quarter.

--Field Level Media