The atmosphere was vibrant. It felt as if you were in Game 7 of the first round of the NBA playoffs again, with the fog and fireworks waiting for the beloved Toronto Raptors to take on the court and beat the Atlanta Hawks. The crowd and the “We The North” shirts given out to everyone before the game made the atmosphere TRULY feel like a playoff atmosphere.
The game itself was the Raptors from the beginning they were controlling the tempo and had some good interior defence, which led to their 109-102 win. The Hawks had some interesting plays, with Kyle Korver and Mike Scott leading with 20 points each. Korver hit 5 3’s and some late shots from Mike Scott cut the Raptors 15 point 4th quarter lead to 4 points, but the Raptors prevailed in the end.
All Raptors starters were in double figures, with Lowry,Johnson, and DeRozan having double-doubles. Valanciunas led the Raptors with 17, and overall, the Raptors were impressive but they do have some work to do when it comes to closing out games and getting their offensive consistency going. The Hawks really need to work on their interior defence, rebounding, and free-throws which really lost them this game. #WeTheNorth
