Camille Naredo

Article (news)

Champ de Lunas

ABS-CBN News

TORONTO -- The Toronto Raptors played with a sense of urgency en route to a 134-117 win over a shorthanded Atlanta squad at home at the Scotiabank Arena.Following a heartbreaking loss to the Denver Nuggets on New Year&#x27;s Eve -- a loss that saw Brandon Ingram&#x27;s potential overtime forcing three-pointer waved off -- the Raptors made sure that there would be no doubt this time around.Ingram spearheaded the Raptors&#x27; attack, scoring 18 of his 29 points in the first half to steer Toronto to a 77-70 halftime lead.Sandro Mamukelashvili had a near triple-double off the bench, finishing with 13 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists.&quot;Sandro&#x27;s biggest quality is that he is an amazing human being and his biggest weakness is that he is an amazing human being,&quot; said Toronto coach Darko Rajakovic. &quot;He cares so much, he cares so much to do well for the team.&quot;Of his game, the Georgia national team member said: &quot;I am very hard on myself, because I really want to win. I want to be that player who helps the team win.&quot;&quot;It was definitely tough, especially going into New Year&#x27;s but I was gonna leave that in 2025,&quot; he added.RJ Barrett, meanwhile, equalled Ingram&#x27;s output with 29 points -- his season-high.It was a good sign for Barrett after being out for five weeks due to a right knee sprain.&quot;Coming back, I just wasn&#x27;t up to speed. I felt we were playing a little differently,&quot; he acknowledged. &quot;But this is who we are, we&#x27;re together, we&#x27;re a collective.&quot;The Hawks were missing Trae Young and Kristaps Porzingis.Jalen Johnson carried the fight for Atlanta with 30 points, nine assists and seven rebounds, while Scarborough native Nickeil Alexander-Walker had 31 points. The Hawks and the Raptors face off again on Monday.

The Toronto Raptors played with a sense of urgency en route to a 134-117 win over a shorthanded Atlanta squad at home at the Scotiabank Arena.

The Toronto Raptors played with a sense of urgency en route to a 134-117 win over a shorthanded Atlanta squad at home at the Scotiabank Arena.

NBA: Raptors off to strong start in 2026 with home win over Hawks

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NBA: Raptors off to strong start in 2026 with home win over Hawks

Champ de Lunas,

ABS-CBN News

Published Jan 04, 2026 03:50 PM PHT

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