The Toronto Raptors hope to rebound from a dismal loss when they visit the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night in a matchup of teams looking for their first win since the All-Star break.
The Raptors never led and trailed by as many as 41 points Friday night against the host Charlotte Hornets in losing 125-93 in their return from the break.
“We just didn’t have a lot of pop or zip or focus,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said.
Fred VanVleet (eight points), Pascal Siakam (eight) and Gary Trent Jr. (12) did not play in the fourth quarter. Scottie Barnes scored a career-best 28 points.
The Hawks also lost their first game after the break, 112-108, to the host Chicago Bulls on Thursday.
“We have to execute at the end,” said Bogdan Bogdanovic, who scored 27 points for the Hawks. “We shouldn’t miss this many free throws, starting with me. Small details against good teams decide the game.”
The Hawks finished 18-for-27 (66.7 percent) from the foul line against the Bulls.
The Raptors have won both games…