Official Game Thread: Raptors at Hawks (6 PM Tip!)

[lethalweapon3]

“There’s no way I could get along with anyone named Esther, OG. You know anyone named Ginger?”

 

Oh, thank goodness, everybody. The Raptors are here!

You see, Toronto, here at the Disappointment Management Division of the Atlanta Hawks Basketball Club, we figured there’s no point in beating both the Bucks and Celtics in consecutive contests, only to let our fans down and get blown out in deflating fashion by you guys again.

It’s the reason we had our players mail it in on Wednesday before a national audience. That way, whatever fans imbibe at State Farm Arena this evening (6:00 PM Eastern, Bally Sports Southeast and 92.9 FM in ATL, TSN SportsNet north of the border), a blowout loss would taste less like a bitter chaser.

You folks with the Raptors (9-7) understand, as much as any NBA team, that whoever is available to play on your behalf is irrelevant against our dear Hawks. Fred Van Vleet is back and running your show, but he wasn’t needed when Atlanta arrived in Toronto off a near brush with victory in Milwaukee, only to get tarred and feathered in a 139-109 lambasting loss.

No Pascal Siakam (out, strained adductor; 31 points off 16 FTAs, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, zero TOs vs. ATL) this time, you say? No Precious Achiuwa (sprained ankle), Gary Trent, Jr. (sore hip), Otto Porter (dislocated toe), Justin Champagnie (pained back, might get upgraded to questionable), or Dalano Blanton (sprained ankle on Wednesday vs. MIA)? No problem! Does it matter, really?

Boston dusted off Sam "Don't Call Me Doogie" Hauser (5-for-6 3FGs) on Wednesday, and he wound up +35 in 27 bench minutes. Trae the Entertainer, our Rated-R superstar, loves to win, craves competitive hoop, but LIVES for the cameras. While Young focused on going viral before halftime by accusing Grant Williams (4-for-7 3FGs) of being the long-lost progeny of Steeve Ho You Fat, Payton Pritchard (4-for-7 3FGs) was busy nailing the long-range shots that Young (2-for-7 3FGs) and his Traemates (combined 5-for-25 3FGs) could not.

To humbling effect, the visiting Celts played the old Budball game of Our Threes Are Better Than All Your Twos. Sure, Atlanta can keep up with teams like yours (51.5 eFG%, 24^th in NBA) and the Bucks (51.4 eFG%, 25^th) if they can keep one hot hand contained along the perimeter. But when Atlanta’s defensive coverage sags and a multitude of shooters rain down, it gets too hard for the Hawks to plug all the leaks in the tent, and they’ll decide to fold it early.

VanVleet (38.7 2FG%, 40.9 3FG%) was rusty after a two-game absence due to illness, his 8 assists just enough to help OG Anunoby (32 points, 10 rebounds vs. MIA) and the Raps stave off Kyle Lowry and the visiting heat on Wednesday. But Fred can certainly help Scottie Barnes prove that treating himself to buckets on Halloween (season-high 21 points, 5-for-9 3FGs vs. ATL; 21.2 3FG% in nine games afterward) was no trick.

There remain plenty of frontcourt players at coach Nick Nurse’s disposal to help Anunoby and Barnes crash the glass (32.7 O-Reb%, 3^rd in NBA), clustering John “The Bait” Collins and the Hawk forwards around the rim. All that’s needed is a Malachi Flynn or a Raptor wing like Ron Harper, Jr., hovering around the three-point line, to make like Peter and pop off.

The Toronto bigs clustering in the paint leave plenty of opportunities for Atlanta to counter with corner shots (NBA-high 11.7 corner 3FGAs by TOR opponents, 40.7 3FG%) of their own. And FVV may struggle getting the transition opportunities his team has grown accustomed to with Siakam and a fuller backcourt (NBA-highs of 23.3 points per-48 off TOs, 19.6 fastbreak points per-48; 4th in NBA transition frequency w/ 19.4% of possessions).

But don’t fret, Raptors. Here at the DMD, we know our Hawks play more off vibes 'n likes than off scouting reports. Make it big on Twitter while you still can, Trae!

 

Let’s Go Hawks!

~lw3

[JeffS17]

I'll skip Thanksgiving if we can shoot 40%+ from behind the arc tonight

[lethalweapon3]

Somebody's gonna be glad to be closer to Mississippi than Mississauga today. At least they're on the good side of a Great Lake.

~lw3

[Spud2nique]

2 hours ago, lethalweapon3 said:

"Don't Call Me Doogie"

In fact I used the gif 

 

2 hours ago, lethalweapon3 said:

John “The Bait” Collins

BSPN trade machine lol. Been there, done that! 

 

2 hours ago, lethalweapon3 said:

Siakam

JC Cap and OO have to dominate this game.

Thanks lw3, got me pumped let’s go!

2k I had an easy time. Hawks by 28. JC 27/11/7/3.  He needs a bust out game but within the flow. 

Vegas got Hawks -6

GO HAWKS!!!

[JayBirdHawk]

Will Bo Cruz be the guy that goes nuts tonight?

 

 

 

[Guest]

Just now, JayBirdHawk said:

Will Bo Cruz be the guy that goes nuts tonight?

 

 

 

30 and 10 

 

[Guest]

My boy with the first six for Toronto! 

[Carmine]

#TradeCollins

[Guest]

[Guest]

State Farm is half empty ... but still more people than in here. 

 

[terrell]

10 minutes ago, Carmine said:

#TradeCollins

Nothing so far from him or Dre so far offensively as usual. 200 + million$ of Mid.......

[terrell]

1 minute ago, LongTimeFan said:

State Farm is half empty ... but still more people than in here. 

 

Hawks are BORING.... smh

[JayBirdHawk]

The pass by the Rook.

 

 

[TheNorthCydeRises]

Unfortunate that we're down by 2.  I thought we played a pretty good 1st quarter.

[terrell]

What a dumb play for Dre earlier.. He is a black hole. As opposed to taking the last shot of the quarter he forces a contested layup and gives up a 3. Smh. 5 point swing. It's hard to like Dre sometimes

[JayBirdHawk]

OO is becoming Clint with the missed bunnies. Another GREAT pass by AJ that he missed. 

[terrell]

3 minutes ago, TheNorthCydeRises said:

Unfortunate that we're down by 2.  I thought we played a pretty good 1st quarter.

This team isnt going anywhere imo.... Just not enough horses.. Too many scrubs..

[JayBirdHawk]

Nothing from the bench besides AJ

 

[terrell]

2 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

OO is becoming Clint with the missed bunnies. Another GREAT pass by AJ that he missed. 

OO has had a horrible season tbh..

[JayBirdHawk]

Trae sits and once again we are struggling to score.