Wednesday night will witness the end of a four-game losing streak as the Atlanta Hawks pay a visit to the Toronto Raptors for the first game of a doubleheader.

Both teams prolonged their streaks in their last outings, with the Hawks losing 129-122 to the Denver Nuggets despite an impressive performance by Bogdan Bogdanovic who notched a career-high 40 points off the bench.

On the other hand, the Raptors suffered a 136-130 defeat at the hands of the New York Knicks, even with OG Anunoby contributing a season-high 29 points. The Hawks, down by 17 going into the fourth quarter against the Nuggets, mounted a comeback led by Bogdanovic who scored 13 points in the final quarter, finishing the game with a career-best 10 3-pointers.

Hawks coach Quin Snyder remarked, “Our guys were really mindful of locating him and they found him in numerous ways.” Trae Young, the star of the Hawks, got ejected after receiving two technical fouls with 25 seconds left in the third quarter.

Snyder lauded his team’s resilience, stating, “It would have been easy for us to give in given all the adversity, but that didn’t happen.” Hawks’ Jalen Johnson (fractured left wrist) missed his seventh consecutive game, and De’Andre Hunter (sore right quadriceps) was also absent in their last game. Bogdanovic has equaled a franchise record by sinking at least two 3-pointers in 17 consecutive games. The sharpshooter’s long-range accuracy almost orchestrated a remarkable comeback for Atlanta on Monday.

Reflecting on his mindset during crunch moments, Bogdanovic said, “When I was younger, perhaps I used to feel demotivated, lose my ‘mojo.’ But I have learned that there is always a chance. So that was my mindset.” Atlanta, with a 6-6 record on the road, will aim to continue their spirited endeavors in the upcoming clashes against Toronto. This series marks the first encounter between the two teams this season, and their all-time meetings are currently tied at 51-51.

The Raptors have emerged victorious in three of their last four home games against the Hawks. Monday’s defeat was a historic occurrence for the Raptors as it marked the first time they lost a game in regulation after scoring 130 points. In the game, all five Toronto starters scored in double figures for the seventh time this season. Anunoby was the standout performer in the third quarter, scoring 15 points.

“It was kind of a shootout,” Anunoby said. “Both teams scored a lot and they made a lot of tough shots. We had some breakdowns. They had breakdowns too, but they just made a bunch of tough shots.” Dennis Schroder notched 20 points and 10 assists, while Scottie Barnes and Pascal Siakam added 20 points each, with Jakob Poeltl contributing 11 points. Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic highlighted the team’s tendency to lose momentum after missing a couple of crucial shots, emphasizing the need for defensive resilience.

“A lot of times that’s a problem for us, when we open up the game and we miss a couple of those shots, it takes some energy away from our defense,” Rajakovic expressed. “I’m telling our guys, first of all, keep believing it and if you don’t make three shots in a row on three possessions in a row, let’s (have) enough pride to go back on defense and get three stops in a row.” Gradey Dick made a return from the G League’s Raptors 905 team and played for four minutes, contributing two points.