The Toronto Raptors were on track to pull out a tough win against the Atlanta Hawks, as they were up by 13 points in the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, because this season has been unfathomably unlucky for Toronto, it was Tony Snell who rained on their parade.
On a Hawks team that normally revolves around Trae Young doing it all, it makes sense that a role player was able to sink Toronto’s battleship. Snell, in the lineup for his defense obliged, breaking the hearts of everyone in Canada by draining an improbable shot at the buzzer.
Snell made just two shots in the game, but he sure made them count, as one of them was a game-winning 3-pointer that gave the Hawks a stunning 121-120 win, knotting them and the Raptors up at 17-20.
Considering how the Raptors were up double-digits and were about to close this game out on numerous occasions, this loss has to sting as hard as any in what has been a very challenging season.
The Raptors played well in what was a loss, thanks to Tony Snell
No one will remember this because of their pitiful late-game defense, but Norman Powell and Chris Boucher had arguably their best games of the season. Powell scored 33 points on 11-20 shooting, while Boucher made 10 of his 15 shots while scoring 29 points and pulling down nine rebounds. All of the hard work, unfortunately, was naught but ash thanks to Snell.
Even Aron Baynes got in on the help. After watching Kyle Lowry tally a double-double in a record-breaking performance, Baynes came one point short of matching it by scoring nine and hauling in a season-best 18 rebounds. Unfortunately, because of Tony Snell somehow turning into Joe Johnson, that performance didn’t lead to a win.
For most of the game, it looked like Young was single-handedly carrying this offense, as he totaled 37 points on 11-24 shooting. However, when he went cold in the second half, Snell and Danilo Gallinari helped pick up the slack, and the Hawks ended up winning because of it.
The Raptors already had a difficult road ahead thanks to a compressed schedule and the lingering effects of several top players still missing time due to the league’s health and safety protocols. It’s gut check time for the Raptors, as this loss is a crippling blow to morale.In a very competitive East, every slip-up is critical, and Toronto can’t afford many more like these.