Scottie Barnes flirts with another triple-double in Raptors win vs. Hawks

Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes led his team to victory once again.

Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes reacts after making a basket against the Atlanta Hawks. | Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

The Toronto Raptors are closing out their homestand in style with a 118-100 win against the Atlanta Hawks inside the Scotiabank Arena.

The Raptors took a lead early and never relinquished it. They were in control of the game wire-to-wire and imposed their dominance on the Hawks. They closed the game off on a 15-5 run to make the score look a little more lopsided than the game actually was. But it shouldn't take away from how much Toronto was in control.

Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic speaks with guard Jamal Shead. | Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

Raptors win wire-to-wire over Hawks

The Raptors had all five starters score in double figures, with each of them scoring between 16 and 19 points. Brandon Ingram was on the higher end with 19, while Scottie Barnes was two rebounds shy of a triple-double with 18 points, 10 assists, and 8 rebounds. RJ Barrett and rookie Collin Murray-Boyles each had 17, while Immanuel Quickley added 16.

The bench also had some strong performances with 12 points off the bench from Sandro Mamukelashvili and 11 from third-year pro Gradey Dick.

The Hawks had a similar looking box score with all five starters in double figures. Onyeka Okongwu had 17 points and 12 rebounds with four steals. Jalen Johnson had 13 points with 14 rebounds and seven assists. Last year's number one overall pick Zaccharie Risacher had 16 points. While Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 14 and Dyson Daniels pitched in 11.

The Hawks also had 10-point performances off the bench from Luke Kennard and Vit Krejci. Kristaps Porzingis also had nine points for the Hawks.

This is the kind of defense the Raptors need to play with if they are going to be contenders in the Eastern Conference. Allowing just 100 points against a team like the Hawks is admirable and it shows how good the Raptors can be on the defensive end of the floor.

The Raptors are down 22 and 15 through 37 games, putting them just two games back of the number two seed in the Eastern Conference. They are looking strong, and there's no reason for the team to start slipping up now.

The biggest challenge for the Raptors will be having to match this energy while playing away from Toronto. Their next game comes against LaMelo Ball and the Charlotte Hornets. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday inside the Spectrum Center. Fans can watch the game on TSN Sports or stream it on NBA League Pass.