Preview: Toronto Raptors Wrap Up Season Series With Atlanta Hawks
The Toronto Raptors wrap up a quick homestand Tuesday with a tilt against the Atlanta Hawks. With victories in their last four games, the Raptors will look to extend their winning streak to five. Tuesday’s game is a tale of two very different teams.
The Raptors sit atop the Eastern Conference with a 45-17 record. Atlanta sits at the bottom of the Eastern Conference with just 20 wins on the year.
Tuesday’s game will mark the final time the Raptors will see the Hawks this season. Toronto has won all three previous meetings between the two teams in comfortable fashion. The Raptors dominance over the Hawks even includes a 34 point blowout win back in November.
Tale Of The Tape
Dennis Schroder has put together a solid season for himself. The German point guard is averaging 19.2 points along with, 6.2 assists per game. Schroder scored 20 points in Toronto’s last meeting with Atlanta.
Another key member of Atlanta’s core is Taurean Prince. In just his second season, Prince is averaging 12.7 points as well as, 4.7 rebounds per game. Prince scored a team high 30 points when the Raptors took on the Hawks in December. In Atlanta’s last game against Phoenix, the 23-year old scored 22 points.
It would be hard for you to miss Hawks rookie John Collins either. At nearly 7-feet tall, Collins has been among the NBA’s most impressive rookies in this year’s class. The former Wake Forest product is averaging 10.7 points and 7.1 rebounds on the year. Collins also possesses explosive bounce.
DeMar DeRozan has put up great numbers against Atlanta this year. In Toronto’s December showdown with the Hawks he scored 25 points. Having had his four game streak of scoring 20 or more points snapped on Sunday, DeRozan will look to bounce back in a big way.
For Norman Powell on the other hand, scoring has not come easy as of late. Powell has been held scoreless in Toronto’s last three games. Tuesday’s matchup with the Hawks could be a great game for the 24-year old to regain some of his confidence.
CJ Miles appears to be coming into his own with the Raptors. In Friday’s game against Washington Miles had 20 points in 20 minutes. His catch-and-shoot expertise is beginning to become a real difference maker for this Raptors team.
Keys To Victory
Exploit Atlanta’s lack of depth. Atlanta’s scoring comes largely in part from their young talents mentioned above. After buying out Marco Belinelli and Ersan Ilysasova, the Hawks are pretty thin. Toronto on the other hand, has a second rotation that could run Atlanta out of the Air Canada Centre. The Raptors’ bench includes four players who are scoring 7 points or more per game.
Get CJ Miles going early. Miles has done a great job maximizing his playing time in the last couple of games. In Sunday’s game against the Hornets he scored 12 points in 19 minutes of play. Getting Miles hot early could help Toronto break out of their three-point shooting woes.
Stay focused. Remaining focused will go a long way in a potential Raptors victory. Atlanta should not be taken lightly regardless of their record. Anything can happen in the NBA and if the Raptors get overconfident, they could find themselves on the receiving end of an upset loss.
Control the glass. The Hawks rank 26th in the NBA in total rebounds per game. Controlling the glass and generating second chance buckets will be a large part of the Raptors game-plan. Look for the Raptors core of big men to be dominant forces in Tuesday’s game.
Prediction
The Toronto Raptors should have no problem earning this victory. Toronto is nearly unbeatable on homecourt this season which, gives them another edge. Atlanta’s young studs may give the Raptors a nice push but, Toronto’s depth will prove to be too much.
Toronto has scored 100 points or more in all three meetings with Atlanta this season. Do not expect anything less in this game. You can catch all the action starting at 7:00 PM EST.
Final score: Atlanta 92 – Toronto 115