The Atlanta Hawks dismantled the Toronto Raptors 125-104 Friday night at Scotiabank Arena. The Hawks played a complete victory on both sides of the ball, holding the Raptors to only 104 points. Head Coach Quin Snyder inserted Onyeka Okongwu into the starting lineup at the power forward spot, and it worked to perfection.
Clint Capela got to work early in the contest, hitting his first three shots for six early points. In contrast to Wednesday’s game, Pascal Siakam had a slow start and could not establish a rhythm throughout the night. Jakob Poeltl and Capela physically battled down for eight and 10 points, respectively, as the Hawks built a 26-24 lead. Atlanta went deep into their rotation with De’Andre Hunter out, and Garrison Mathews met the challenge. His efforts on defense created multiple charges, rattling Toronto’s offensive rhythm. The Hawks took a 30-24 lead when Saddiq Bey took the ball 94 feet as the Raptors could not stop the ball.
In the second quarter, Bogdan Bogdanović started cooking. After four straight games of 20 or more points, Bogdanović had 15 points by the middle of the second. Raptor’s Head Coach Darko Rajaković interestingly matched Dennis Schröder’s minutes with Trae Young’s to start the first-half. As a former Hawk, Schröder enjoys playing against his former team, but he did not have a big impact on Friday night. The Hawks went on a 9-3 run to extend their lead to 57-47 and held the Raptors to 49 points at halftime. Bogdanović led the Hawks with 15 points, while Capela and Dejounte Murray scored 10 and 11, respectively. Poeltl totaled 12 points at the half for Toronto.
In the previous game, the Raptors blitzed the Hawks in the third quarter, but fans saw a different outcome in this contest. Atlanta stretched the lead to 69-55 to begin the frame behind Young’s offensive wizardry. After struggling to hit shots in the first two quarters, Young came out guns blazing in the second-half, hitting multiple 30-foot three’s. After being held to single digits in the first-half, Young ended the third quarter with 25 points, as Atlanta held an 87-78 lead heading into the final frame.
The Hawks extended their lead to start the final quarter, but the Raptors fought back behind Scottie Barnes, utilizing his size and strength in the post. Toronto cut the lead to 89-83 before Young and Bogdanović hit clutch threes to bring the lead back to 95-86. This counter-run felt like it took the wind out of Toronto’s sails, and Atlanta built a 15-point lead with over seven minutes left. It had been a while, but the Hawks emptied their bench down the stretch in a position to win. Seth Lundy scored his first NBA points to cement a much-needed win for Atlanta.
Young finished with 38 points and 11 assists. His favorite pick-and-roll partner, Capela, put up a strong 18-point, 15-rebound double with three blocks, while Okongwu added another double-double with 14 points and 11 boards. Bey grabbed 10 rebounds and scored 10, and Murray put up 18 points, nine assists and seven rebounds. Bogdanović finished with 20 points off the bench.
For Toronto, Siakam struggled for 11 points on 5-11 from the field. Barnes scored 23 points and added eight assists and two blocks, while Jakob Poeltl had 15 points and eight rebounds. Only three players for the Raptors scored in double figures, and the Hawks destroyed Toronto on the glass 55-32.
The Hawks have a quick turnaround, as they face the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday night for a back-to-back at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. Cleveland will be without Darius Garland and Evan Mobley due to injury. It will be interesting to see if Snyder sticks with the two-big lineup against the Cavs, as the Hawks try to win two consecutive games.
