Toronto Raptors – Atlanta Hawks: NBA Preview
On Monday night Toronto Raptors will be hosting the match against Atlanta Hawks here at Air Canada Center.
Raptors, stuck in the lower half of Eastern Conference and way out of the playoff picture, are struggling with an injury riddled roster. They have recently lost star player Andrea Bargnani due to left calf injury and earlier sidelined
Jerryd Bayless due to torn left oblique. Moreover Amir Johnson is labouring on court with sore back while Linas Klieza is struggling with a sore left knee.
The only Canadian franchise did show a remarkable commitment against Hawks on April 15th, playing without their key Italian player they miraculously managed to hand over a 102-86 defeat.
DeMar DeRozan carried the handicapped team on his back by scoring 23 points and helped Toronto maintain a double-digit lead throughout the 4th frame.
This time the Hawks will be striving to return the favour to Raptors on their turf. Atlanta, a strong candidate for the playoffs with 35 wins and 25 loses, are shining bright on the 5th spot in Eastern conference but
they cannot afford further defeats especially at the hands of an incoherent team like Raptors.
Hawks’ player, Willie Green knew about the importance of such games.
"I think this is a game we need to think about," guard Willie Green said. "We're supposed to be getting prepared for a playoff run. It was a letdown tonight on our part."
After the last defeat their current standing has been jeopardized as they fell into a tie for the 5th spot with Orlando Magic. If they want to retain their standing then they will have to put their house in order. Especially
Joe Johnson as he netted only 7 points on 2 for 12 shooting in the last match. His performance in the game was quite the opposite of his repute, Johnson has been averaging 18.6 points per game and this was the 1st time in 24 games that he failed
to score in double figures.
He however credited the quality of show displayed by Raptors.
"Give Toronto credit," he told the league's official website. "They were better than us tonight. If we come out and start like that (Monday), they'll be better than us. We'll see."
It will be interesting to see how Toronto Coach Dwane Casey utilizes his remaining assets in the upcoming match. The franchise offered a 10 days contract to Ben Uzoh and Justin Dentmon which will be maturing on Monday. These two
players played a pivotal role with DeMar DeRozan in the last match and thus received the acclamation of their coach.
"Guys are just playing the right way, playing together, playing with a purpose," Coach Dwane Casey said. "You've got guys who don't want to go down without a fight."
Now these two players have one more game before their contract expire and we do hope that they will display the same awe inspiring show once more.
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