Toronto @ Atlanta preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 23, 2019 ) Toronto 119, Atlanta 116

The Toronto Raptors have won three games in a row heading into Monday’s contest at the Atlanta Hawks but, more importantly, the Raptors are getting healthy. Guard Fred VanVleet scored 29 points in Saturday’s 122-112 victory at Minnesota after missing five games with a right hamstring injury, and guard Norman Powell added 20 points for his fourth consecutive 20-plus point performance since returning from a left shoulder injury.

The Raptors also got center Marc Gasol back in the lineup Wednesday after a strained left hamstring sidelined him, and during the winning streak Toronto is averaging 130.7 points. “We’ve tried to look at the positives that it’s given a lot of other guys a lot of opportunity they probably wouldn’t have got,” Toronto coach Nick Nurse told reporters postgame. “They’ve shown, you know, they’re pretty good.” The Hawks fell short in their bid to win three games in a row for the first time this season Saturday, losing to Detroit 136-103 just one night after a 121-120 triumph in San Antonio. The lone bright spot for Atlanta was the return of guard Jeff Teague, the Hawks point guard from 2009-16 who was re-acquired in a trade with Minnesota on Thursday, scoring 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting with seven assists off the bench.

TIME: 2:30 p.m. ET. TV: NBATV, FS Southeast, Sportsnet One, Sportsnet East, Sportsnet West, Sportsnet Ontario, Sportsnet Pacific

ABOUT THE RAPTORS (28-14): Gasol had a quiet night Saturday (four points), but helped Toronto match a franchise record in scoring during Friday’s 140-111 rout of Washington with 20 on 6-of-7 shooting from 3-point range. Powell is averaging 22.8 points and is shooting 61.4 percent from the field since returning. Forward Pascal Siakam leads Toronto in scoring (23.8) and is second in rebounding (7.5), after finishing with 14 points, four boards and four blocked shots Saturday.

ABOUT THE HAWKS (10-33): Guard Trae Young entered Sunday fourth the league in scoring (28.8 points) and assists (8.5), after finishing Saturday with 16 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Guard Kevin Huerter, who scored 18 points and hit the game-winning 3-pointer against San Antonio, shot just 1-for-7 from the field and scored only two points Saturday. Forward John Collins scored 20 points with five rebounds against Detroit, and in his past six games is averaging 16.7 points and 9.8 rebounds with four double-doubles.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Atlanta’s frontcourt was short-handed again Saturday with C Alex Len (lower back pain) and F Jabari Parker (right shoulder impingement) sidelined.

2. Toronto G Kyle Lowry is averaging 8.7 assists across his past six games, and is 27 shy of tying Jose Calderon for the all-time franchise record (3,770).

3. In their first matchup of the season, the Raptors beat the Hawks 119-116 on Nov. 23 in Atlanta despite a triple-double from Young (30 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists).

PREDICTION: Raptors 127, Hawks 106