It’s deja vu all over again.
Just 48 hours after squaring-off on Saturday, the Hawks and the Raptors will close out their season series on Monday at 7:30 p.m. ET at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario. The Raptors are 3-0 against Atlanta so far in 2025-26, and on the DraftKings Sportsbook, Toronto is a 2.5-point favourite to complete the sweep.
Can the Hawks rebound and get a little revenge? Let’s preview this game and supply a best bet to tail.
Hawks vs. Raptors prediction, preview
It’s difficult to imagine we get a carbon copy of Saturday’s 134-117 tilt, as that result was out of character for both teams.
In fact, no squad has played to the under more often this season that the Raptors, who have failed to go over the total in a whopping 61.1% of their matchups. That’s what happens when you combine the NBA’s fourth-best defensive rating (112.4) with the league’s seventh-slowest pace (99.7), though the presence of RJ Barrett does alter Toronto’s tendencies. The Canadian wing is fully back from a knee injury and a 15-game absence, logging 29.9 minutes and scoring a season-high 29 points in this past weekend’s victory. When Barrett has been on the floor in 2025-26, the Raptors are averaging an impressive 120.0 points per 100 possessions. However, the former third-overall pick has also hurt his team’s defensive quality more often than not.
It’s a pretty similar scenario in Atlanta with Trae Young, who will miss a fifth straight contest on Monday due to a quad contusion. Young’s only been available for 10 games this season and the Hawks are just 2-8 with the four-time All-Star suiting up. How is that possible? Well, it likely has something to do with the fact that Atlanta is hemorrhaging 129.8 points per 100 possessions with Young on the floor in 2025-26. Woof.
That’s what made Saturday’s offensive explosion by Toronto so odd. Young wasn’t in uniform, so the squad would be unable to blame the diminutive guard for the Raptors shooting 53.3% from the field or setting a season-high with 77 points in the opening half. It’s also not like the Hawks didn’t get their own major offensive contributions. Jalen Johnson narrowly missed out on a 30-point triple-double, while Nickeil Alexander-Walker dropped 31 points in the arena just 30 minutes away from his hometown of Vaughn.
Call it regression to the mean or pride, but I’m anticipating a lower-scoring script in the second game of his back-to-back in-season series. It certainly helps that Kristaps Porzingis and his rim protection will be back in action for Atlanta this evening, as well.
Hawks vs. Raptors pick, best bet
Best Bet: Under 234.5 (-115)
As mentioned above, few basketball bets have been as profitable as the under in a Raptors’ game in 2025-26. I don’t expect Toronto to shoot 53.3% from the field for a second straight contest, nor do I forsee the Hawks once again making 17 three-pointers. Let’s trust the larger samples on this one.
