Raptors lose heartbreaker in overtime in Atlanta after Barnes misses potential regulation winner

Article content

It’s been a while since the Raptors were down this many key pieces, but you wouldn’t know it by the performance Saturday night in Atlanta.

Article content

Of course, it would have felt a whole lot better had the game not ended on a defensive miscue that obliterated all their hard work.

Article content

Having scrapped back to tie the game at 122 on a pair of O.G. Anunoby free throws with just three seconds left in overtime, the Raptors appeared to be in decent shape.

But somehow – and this only made it hurt a little more – A.J. Griffin, son of Raptors assistant coach Adrian Griffin wwas left all alone under the Toronto basket as the Hawks inbounded from under their own basket.

Article content

Understandably Trae Young got a lot of attention on the inbound that still found its way into his hands via a touch pass from Dejounte Murray after Clint Capela sprung him with a solid screen.

Young, already under a full head of steam ran away from the Toronto defence and then just had to hit the wide-open Griffin for the buzzer-beating winner for a 124-122 OT win.

Article content

It was heartache for the Raptors who were down two starters and three of their top reserves off the bench and still really had control of this game for most of the night.

Without Pascal Siakam and Gary Trent Jr. as well as Chris Boucher, Dalano Banton, and Otto Porter Jr., it was Scottie Barnes and Anunoby leading the way.

Barnes had one of those all-around great Barnes nights with 28 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists.

The downside was yet another tweak of his already banged-up left ankle that forced him to miss crucial minutes as regulation wound down.

Barnes came down on Trae Young’s foot in a mass of bodies under the Toronto basket with just over four minutes remaining in the game.

He wound up going back to the locker room but returned with just under two minutes to play.

Article content

Barnes, maybe still feeling that ankle, had a glorious opportunity to win this one in regulation for the Raptors as VanVleet found him uncovered coming across the baseline with less than three seconds remaining and the game tied.

Barnes was a little strong with the layup which went off glass and off the far rim failing to fall and forcing an already fatigued Raptors’ club to play five more minutes.

Griffin, a rookie out of Duke, actually had eight of his 17 points in the overtime to help Atlanta pull this one out.

Given the circumstances, this was one of the Raptors better efforts all season.

Nurse basically played seven players with Khem Birch and Jeff Dowtin Jr. logging just four minutes apiece and Ron Harper Jr., the Raptors other two-way roster player along with Dowtin Jr, there only in the event of an emergency.

Article content

The Raptors started their three remaining healthy starters along with veteran Young who was making his fourth consecutive start and Juancho Hernangomez who joined the starting five for the first time this season.

Young, as he has been since the injuries started piling up in Toronto, was outstanding going off for a season high 18 points and nine rebounds in 35 minutes.

Hernangomez, another high-IQ player the likes of which the Raptors seem to gravitate towards, was also solid with 10 points and nine rebounds.

Reserve Malachi Flynn enjoyed his best individual performance of the year with a season’s-best 17 points before he fouled out in the dying moments of regulation.

The Raptors will now have three full days off before the schedule resumes and the timing couldn’t be better.

Article content

Barnes looks like he could use some time to let his ankles heal.

VanVleet, who was still dealing with a flu bug Wednesday didn’t look all the way back from that in Atlanta either. The lack of options on Nurse’s shortened bench meant VanVleet still played almost 45 minutes, but he clearly wasn’t at his best.

He hung in gamely, but his normal shooting touch was not there going just 4-for-18 on the night and finishing up with 15 points.

The result was redemption of sorts for Atlanta’s Trae Young who looked awful in the first meeting between these two teams that the Raptors won by 30 earlier this month.

Young bounced back with 33 points and 12 assists and could be seen waving to the Raptors bench in a taunting fashion as the final buzzer sounded.

[email protected]