One four-game losing streak will end Wednesday night when the Atlanta Hawks visit the Toronto Raptors in the opener of a two-game series.
Both teams extended their streaks Monday night.
Despite a career-high 40 points off the bench from Bogdan Bogdanovic, the Hawks lost 129-122 to the visiting Denver Nuggets.
Toronto was handed a 136-130 road loss by the New York Knicks despite OG Anunoby’s season-high 29 points.
The Hawks trailed by 17 entering the fourth quarter against the Nuggets, then Bogdanovic led a comeback attempt with 13 points in the quarter and finished with a career-high 10 3-pointers.
“I think one of the interesting things that is significant and good is that our guys were really aware of finding him and they found him a lot of different ways,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder said.
Hawks star Trae Young scored 19 points before he was ejected when he picked up two technical fouls with 25 seconds remaining in the third.
“I think it would have been really easy, given all the adversity of the game that was going on, for us to give in and that didn’t happen,” Snyder said. “I think we stayed focused on our execution, and it got us back in the game.”
Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (fractured left wrist) missed his seventh consecutive game. De’Andre Hunter (sore right quadriceps) also did not play Monday.
Bogdanovic has made at least two 3-pointers in 17 consecutive games, matching a franchise high.
His accuracy from long range almost brought Atlanta all the way back Monday.
“When I was younger, probably I was like, maybe down, and you kind of lose like, not motivation, but you lose that ‘mojo’ in that moment,” Bogdanovic said. “But I have learned that there is always a chance. If there is time left on the clock, there is always a chance. So that was my mindset.”
Atlanta takes a 6-6 road record into the two-game set at Toronto, which will play five of its next six games at home.
The Raptors and Hawks, who will meet for the first time this season, are 51-51 in their all-time meetings. The Raptors have won three of their four past home games against the Hawks.
Monday marked the Raptors’ first regulation loss in team history when scoring 130 points.
All five Toronto starters scored in double figures for the seventh time this season.
Anunoby poured in 15 points in the third quarter.
“It was kind of a shootout,” Anunoby said. “Both teams scored a lot and they made a lot of tough shots. We had some breakdowns. They had breakdowns too, but they just made a bunch of tough shots.”
Dennis Schroder had 20 points and 10 assists, while Scottie Barnes and Pascal Siakam added 20 points apiece. Jakob Poeltl chipped in 11 points.
“A lot of times that’s a problem for us, when we open up the game and we miss a couple of those shots, it takes some energy away from our defense,” Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic said.
“I’m telling our guys, first of all, keep believing it and if you don’t make three shots in a row on three possessions in a row, let’s (have) enough pride to go back on defense and get three stops in a row.”
Gradey Dick returned from the G League’s Raptors 905 team and had two points in four minutes.
–Field Level Media