VanVleet leads Toronto with 24 points, 9 assists after being listed as questionable
Trai Young knew what the Atlanta Hawks needed from him to improve their playoff position, so it was time for a bounce-back game.
Young returned to his All-Star form with 41 points and the Hawks dominated the third quarter with a 127-100 win over the Toronto Raptors on Saturday night.
Young was 17 of 24 from field, 6 of 6 from line and had 11 assists. He scored only 3 of 17 in Atlanta's 112-108 loss in Chicago on Thursday night, his first game since starting in the All-Star Game.
"I knew I had to be the best for my team and I try to do that in every match," Young said. "I wanted to bounce back and I thought I did."
Entering the game, the Hawks were 10th and the Raptors seventh in the Eastern Conference playoff standings.
Young scored his first four shots in his fifth game of the season, scoring more than 40 points. He made a career-high on January 3 at Portland with 56 points.
It was 23-year-old Young's 22nd career game for a player under 24, with at least 40 points, surpassing Tracy McGrady for number six in NBA history.
Young posted his 10th career game with at least 40 points and 10 assists, surpassing Michael Jordan for the ninth-most.
"I never imagined it," Young said, "if we don't win any of this stuff, especially for me."
Fred VanVleet led Toronto with 24 points and nine assists after being listed as a suspect with pain in his right knee. Precious Achiuwa added a season-high 21 points.
Oneka Okongwu matched her season high with 17 points for Atlanta, which took Toronto 38-16 in the decisive third period.
Teams performed brilliantly in the first half.
The Raptors enjoyed a first hot streak, scoring 13 unanswered points for a 27–22 lead. Achiuwa started the run with a 3-pointer and jammed the streak.
Toronto extended a 45-33 advantage at the start of the second period before the Hawks took the lead with an 18-0 run to lead 51-45.
Hawks major after third quarter
After leading 66-58 at halftime, the Hawks pulled off another long run, scoring 16 straight points to lead 89-62 in the third period.
The Raptors suffered an ugly loss for the second night in a row. Late in the third period against the Hawks, the Raptors trailed 32 points, at 102-70, after trailing 41 points in Friday night's 125-94 loss in Charlotte.
Raptors coach Nick Nurse said, "We turned our motor too hard in the second and you stopped at the halftime break and we couldn't get it back." "It's not a good sign that happened two nights in a row.
"We know we have the ability to play better. We have to dig."
VanVleet's knee problem
The nurse said VanVleet could not play after re-injuring his knee on the Saturday morning before the game. VanVleet scored eight points in 29 minutes in Charlotte on Friday night.
VanVleet did not discuss details about his knee and said he would not use it as an excuse.
"It's not a big deal, but it's definitely a pain in the ass," VanValet said. "I have to keep working and rehab and try to be available to my team."