Game Thread: Toronto Raptors vs. Atlanta Hawks

This just in: some Raptors are going to miss tonight’s game against the Atlanta Hawks. We knew about Fred VanVleet already, and poor Paul Watson is still down for the count. But now we can add Kyle Lowry and DeAndre’ Bembry to the injured list too (along with, sure, Jalen Harris as well). For Toronto’s captain, who just returned to the court on Sunday night, it’s a night off for rest; for Bembry, it’s a hamstring issue. Take altogether, it’s a lot.

Fortunately, Toronto’s opponent this evening is the even more injured Hawks. After climbing way out of the cellar of the Eastern Conference and all the way into fourth place — not bad! — Atlanta is now looking down an injured list that extends past the half-dozen mark. Tonight they’ll be without a few noted contributors — including John Collins, Danilo Gallinari, and Trae Young. (Also, Raptor killer Tony Snell isn’t coming anywhere near the court tonight, which, if I may say, allows me to sigh in relief.)

There’s not much more to say about this Raptors season that hasn’t already been said. The team has not only lost more games than they’ve won, they’ve looked demoralized at times while doing said losing. And quite frankly, I’d be bummed out too if I had to spend the year in Florida while a global pandemic continued on unabated. There’s light at the end of the tunnel though — part of it comes from seeing some of the new, young Raptors get their chances to shine, and another part comes from knowing this will be over soon. For now, though, the Raptors must push on.

To get yourselves up to speed, read up on Muad’s full Raptors-Hawks preview here. Below are the updated game details. Now, let’s watch.

Where to Watch:

TSN at 7:30pm EST

Lineups:

Toronto – Malachi Flynn, Gary Trent Jr., OG Anunoby, Pascal Siakam, Chris Boucher

Atlanta – Brandon Goodwin, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Solomon Hill, Kevin Huerter, Clint Capela

Injuries:

Toronto – Kyle Lowry (rest – out), Fred VanVleet (hip – out), DeAndre’ Bembry (hamstring – out)), Jalen Harris (hip – out), Paul Watson (COVID-19 protocols – out)

Atlanta – Trae Young (calf – out), Kris Dunn (ankle – out), Danilo Gallinari (foot – out), Tony Snell (ankle – out), John Collins (ankle – out), De’Andre Hunter (knee – out), Cam Reddish (Achilles – out)