Atlanta Hawks Blow Out Toronto Raptors 127-100

Recap

After laying an egg in Chicago, the Hawks made their playoff push that much more challenging. But, tonight, they took a step in the right direction with a decisive 127-100 victory over the Raptors.

It was far from a foregone conclusion. The Raptors jumped out to a 12-point lead in the first half, which left everyone in Atlanta incredulous. The Raptors got blown out in Charlotte last night and were without OG Anunoby.

Just when fans were ready to throw their hands up in the air with this erratic team, Trae Young caught fire. The two-time All-Star finished with 41 points and 11 assists. The team shot a blistering 57.8% from the field and 41.9% from deep. By the third quarter, the game was all but over.

Trae has 32 points on 14/17 shooting...There's 8 minutes left in the third quarter pic.twitter.com/rHGJgKJqwB
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) February 27, 2022

Despite being a game-time decision, both Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet ended up playing. Siakam played well, but VanVleet put the exhausted Raptors on his back. The All-Star point finished with a very respectable 24 points and 9 assists.

The previous two times the Raptors played (and beat) the Hawks, their outside shooting was phenomenal. That was not the case tonight. The Raptors shot just 40% from the field and 31.3% from deep. Gary Trent Jr. was held to just 9 points on 3-10 attempts.

Post-Game Interviews

Hawks head coach Nate McMillan was pleased with what he saw after the first quarter. "I thought our intensity was really good. We did a good job of continuing with the pressure on the ball. Our bigs did a good job of being up on the screens. All the things that we talked about we needed to do defensively."

Trae Young passed Michael Jordan for the ninth-most 40+ point, 10+ assist games in NBA history.@TheTraeYoung | @laurenjbara pic.twitter.com/NB9vPPwIjz
— Bally Sports: Hawks (@HawksOnBally) February 27, 2022

An unfazed Trae Young took to the podium wearing a black hoodie and relaxed demeanor. "I told y'all I was going to bounce back. I didn't have a good shooting game in Chicago, obviously. I felt like there were shots I could have made, but it felt like the legs and things just weren't there."

When asked what he saw on the game tape from the Bull loss, Young answered bluntly. "I didn't even need to watch it again, to be honest with you. That was actually one of a couple games I didn't watch this year." Young reframed the individual discussion to discuss his team. "I knew I had to be better for my team. Just try and do that each game."

The Hawks next game is Tuesday night in Boston against the Celtics on national television. As always, we will have plenty of content for you between now and then. Stay locked into Sports Illustrated's AllHawks.com for breaking news, highlights, and analysis.

Adidas and Trae Young are going crazy with the first signature shoe of the two-time All-Star. Read more about this specific shoe here in our culture section.

After a cold shooting night in Chicago, Trae Young came back with a vengeance. He scored 37 points through three quarters.

With John Collins still out of action, the Atlanta Hawks are still relying more on Onyeka Okongwu. The second-year player has not disappointed.

Toronto Raptors forward Pascal 'Spicy P' Siakam was questionable all day. He ended up playing, but probably should have taken the night off.

Much like his teammate (Siakam), Fred VanVleet was questionable leading up to tonight's game. He definitely could have benefited from a day of rest.

Atlanta Hawks power forward John Collins remains sidelined with a right foot strain. The Hawks need him back for this final playoff push.

Stats

Hawks Leaders

Trae Young - 41 PTS, 11 AST

Onyeka Okongwu - 17 PTS, 7 REB

De'Andre Hunter - 14 PTS, 4 REB

Raptors Leaders

Fred VanVleet - 24 PTS, 9 AST

Precious Achiuwa - 21 PTS, 9 REB

Pascal Siakam - 14 PTS, 10 REB

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