Toronto's Three-Point Shooting Sends the Hawks to a Fifth Straight Loss

Atlanta has a rematch with Toronto on Friday

It was tough to say who needed the win in Toronto more tonight. 

Toronto came into the game with one of the worst offenses in the NBA, but that did not matter tonight against the Hawks. It was not all bad defense, but to allow the Raptors to be as successful as they were from three was suboptimal. Like the game against the Nuggets, the Hawks got up early and led by eight after the first quarter, but that lead wilted away and the Raptors took control of the game. Atlanta made a charge late, but it was not enough and now the Hawks have lost five in a row. 

Atlanta came in on a four-game losing streak and to make matters worse, De'Andre Hunter would have to miss another game. Hunter missed the game on Monday against the Nuggets and his absence was felt. The team had to start Garrison Matthews and that did not go well. 

Tonight, Hawks head coach Quin Snyder opted to start veteran Wesley Matthews but Bogdan Bogdanovic and even Garrison Matthews got more minutes than Wesley. 

Toronto did not make any changes to their lineup tonight. Dennis Schroder, OG Anunoby, Scottie Barnes, Pascal Siakam, and Jakob Poetl. 

Sikama, who has been the subject of trade talks for the Hawks since the summer, seemingly always plays well against Atlanta and he got off to a great start tonight. 

Toronto led for much of the first, but the Hawks had a big run in them to end the quarter. Atlanta went on a 14-2 run to end the quarter and it was capped by a buzzer-beating shot by Trae Young. 

Wait for it.@TheTraeYoung | @SaddiqBey pic.twitter.com/5eNhzIkTQv

— Bally Sports: Hawks (@HawksOnBally) December 14, 2023

The defense still left a lot to be desired in the half from the Hawks though. Despite a 39-31 lead after the first, Toronto was shooting 58.3% from the field and 42.9% from three. The Raptors came into the game as one of the NBA's worst offenses, but they still found a good measure of success against the Hawks' defense. 

Atlanta shot 57.1% from the field and 60% from three in the first quarter. Young had a masterful performance with nine points and seven assists in the first and Murray and Bogdanovic both had seven points. 

Atlanta maintained their lead when there was a timeout with 8:08 left in the first half, but the Raptors closed the lead to just two points at the half with another strong quarter from Siakam. The Hawks led 66-64 at the half and they finished the half shooting 52% from the floor and 52.4% from three. Young had 20 points and 10 assists, Capela had 11 points, and Murray had 10.

Toronto shot 55.3% from the field and 42.1% from three. Siakam had 24 points and Barnes finished the half with 12 points and seven rebounds. 

Pascal Siakam vs the Hawks / Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

The third quarter belonged to the Raptors though. The good news for the Hawks though is that they kept fighting back, but they were letting one of the NBA's worst offenses (and the worst three-point shooting team) have their way. Toronto hit nine threes alone in the quarter alone and they outscored the Hawks 39-29 in the third to have a commanding lead going into the fourth. 

One development in the first three quarters that should be encouraging for Hawks fans is that Onyeka Okongwu looked comfortable shooting threes in this game. He hit three of his first four attempts and the reason that is a good sign is that Snyder might be inclined to play lineups with him and Capela together if Okongwu can space the floor. 

Trae Young vs the Raptors / Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

Toronto kept Atlanta at arm's length for the first part of the fourth quarter, but the Hawks cut the lead to four with 5:43 to go in the game and they had possession of the ball. It was courtesy of back-to-back threes from Bogdanovic and the Hawks looked like they were back in the game. 

But a run from the Raptors was just around the corner, however, and that put the game away. At the end of the day, the defense could not get a stop and Toronto got the win 135-128. 

The Hawks shot 48% from the field and 43.9% from three. Young had 35 points and 17 assists and Bogdanovic scored 20 off the bench. 

Toronto shot 57.5% from the field and 52.9% from three in this game. Siakam had a good night with 33 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists. Barnes had 27 points on 11-14 shooting and Anunoby had 22 points on 10-13 shooting. 

The Raptors were shooting uncharacteristically in this game and on top of that, Trae Young and Bogdan Bogdanovic were the only Hawks playing well. This team clearly misses Johnson and Hunter, but they are not playing well right now and have lost five straight, including seven of their last eight. 

Atlanta faces Toronto again on Friday. 

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