Hey, that’s pretty good.
 | Hawks | 108 | Final Box Score | 118 | Raptors |  |
 A+ | P. Siakam40 MIN, 31 PTS, 13 REB, 6 AST, 1 STL, 12-23 FG, 1-4 3FG, 6-8 FT, 1 BLK, 0 TO, +7 +/- Sublime. Can’t be stopped. Not only was he everything on offense, but the late game defense would’ve utterly failed without his presence. Stamped the middle of the floor as his office, and shredded any defender in his way. Took the doubles in stride and found his teammates. He’s just so good at basketball. | |
 A+ | S. Barnes35 MIN, 19 PTS, 14 REB, 1 AST, 0 STL, 7-13 FG, 1-3 3FG, 4-7 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, +6 +/- Extra possessions are worth their weight in gold and he grabbed 6 (!) of them. A gritty performance with a bunch of nice offensive moments mixed in. Clutch free throws and some nice touch late as well. | |
 B+ | K. Birch24 MIN, 5 PTS, 8 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 2-3 FG, 0-0 3FG, 1-1 FT, 2 BLK, 2 TO, -11 +/- He did a pretty good job containing in the pick n’ roll in this one. The plus-minus isn’t friendly, but he was actually quite good tonight. Lil’ touch shots, some good, disciplined defense, and some heavier minutes. | |
 C | F. VanVleet36 MIN, 12 PTS, 2 REB, 9 AST, 1 STL, 4-21 FG, 2-12 3FG, 2-3 FT, 1 BLK, 3 TO, -2 +/- A really poor game on offense. Those assist numbers are inflated by some big shots, and despite hitting that big 3, he just about shot the Raptors out of this one. Defensively though, he remains essential at the point of attack. Nice game on Trae, as that guy is almost impossible to handle. | |
 C+ | G. Trent Jr.32 MIN, 14 PTS, 4 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL, 5-13 FG, 1-6 3FG, 3-3 FT, 1 BLK, 0 TO, +19 +/- He did not cure the Raptors sickness from downtown, but he was important to their success regardless because of his gravity. A pretty good defensive game as well, all things told. | |
 A- | T. Young15 MIN, 7 PTS, 8 REB, 1 AST, 0 STL, 3-6 FG, 1-1 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, +1 +/- Had a really nice stint in the middle of the game. Hit the Raptors first triple, got in the mix by the bucket, and a monstrous 5 ORBS. A really nice stretch of play from him. | |
 A | C. Boucher22 MIN, 18 PTS, 7 REB, 0 AST, 1 STL, 7-11 FG, 3-5 3FG, 1-2 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, +8 +/- He was terrific! None of his makes from downtown came easy, but they went in regardless. Continues to grind at the bucket despite the gang contests, and he got his first game with offensive pop in a lil while. The length and tenacity was a big boost on defense as well. | |
 A | P. Achiuwa24 MIN, 11 PTS, 2 REB, 0 AST, 1 STL, 4-11 FG, 0-4 3FG, 3-5 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, +21 +/- There’s a reason he closed. One of the best defenders on the team, and completely changed how Trae attacked the pick n’ roll. Foot speed, strength, and contests – he’s got it. Offensively, he gave you enough of a boost that his on-court presence became overwhelming. That closeout + dunk was NUTS. Well done. | |
 Inc | M. Flynn7 MIN, 0 PTS, 1 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 0-0 FG, 0-0 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, +4 +/- Had a really good defensive stretch, but had serious rust on offense. | |
 Inc | D. Banton4 MIN, 1 PTS, 1 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL, 0-0 FG, 0-0 3FG, 1-2 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, -3 +/- Got a run in! | |
 B | Nick Nurse Very happy to see he stuck with Precious down the stretch of this one. And I understand why the Raptors were spamming set actions to get Fred looks down the stretch – they wanted him to hit some – but things went much better once they let Siakam handle the ball and figure things out. And they waited too long. Escaped this one. | |
Things We Saw
- “Scottie Barnes is comically large.” – A Hawks analyst I know
- “Scottie Barnes is going to be a star.” – A Hawks analyst I know
- “Pascal Siakam should be All-NBA.” – A Hawks analyst I know
