Toronto Raptors deny Daniels, Hawks in heartbreaker
Australian star Dyson Daniels has put in another huge NBA performance for Atlanta only to be denied late by Toronto.
The Raptors beat the Hawks 122-119 for just their second away win of the season on Thursday, with Scottie Barnes notching 25 points that included a key basket late in the game.
Bruce Brown had 18 points, while Jacob Poeltl and Chris Boucher each had 17 in the opener of a two-game series in Atlanta.
The Hawks had a chance to tie with 2.7 seconds left, but good defence forced a 3-pointer by Onekya Okongwu at the buzzer that was an airball.
Bogdan Bogdanovic shook off a recent shooting slump to score 23 points and hit three of his five 3-pointers for the Hawks. He had missed his last 14 field goal attempts entering the game.
Daniels had 22 points, eight rebounds, five assists and four steals in a barnstorming game.
The Hawks have now lost three straight and host Toronto again on Saturday.
Grady Dick and RJ Barrett scored 15 points apiece for the Raptors, who have won four of five.
Hawks forward Jalen Johnson injured his left shoulder when he fouled Barnes in the second quarter. He left the court immediately and did not return to the game. He had been battling right shoulder inflammation coming into the game.
The Raptors looked sharp in holding a double-digit lead for most of the first half and continue to play their best ball of the season.
In Orlando, the Portland Trailblazers used a stifling defensive effort to spoil Magic star Franz Wagner’s return and register a 101-79 road rout.
Wagner, who missed 20 games with an oblique injury, scored a team-high 20 points on 9-of-19 shooting from the floor. Portland held the rest of the Magic to just 17-of-57 shooting (29.8 per cent), including a 1-of-14 performance by Paolo Banchero.
Banchero’s eight points were his fewest since a six-point outing on November 29, 2023.
All five Portland starters scored at least eight points. Toumani Camara finished with 16, Deni Avdija scored 13 and Jerami Grant had 12. Robert Williams III grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds to go with eight points and four blocked shots.
Jabari Walker came off the bench to score 10 and swiped a career-high six steals. Walker’s defence helped Portland force 22 Orlando turnovers.
Earlier, the San Antonio Spurs thrashed the Indiana Pacers 140-110 with Victor Wembanyama posting a game-high 30 points.
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