The Atlanta Hawks were at home on Friday evening to face the Toronto Raptors in the NBA Cup group stage play. These two teams have seen each other already in the season opener, with the Hawks losing. This
time, the Hawks didn’t have Trae Young, but they have found some rhythm without him. They were also without Luke Kennard in this game, as he dealt with an illness.
The Hawks made defense their calling card to start the game, getting two steals early and turning them into points on the other end.
Jalen Johnson found Nickeil Alexander-Walker in the corner for this open 3-pointer.
It was a pretty even matchup in the first quarter, as the game was tied at 26 going into the second. That’s when the Hawks turned it up, and it started with Keaton Wallace.
The defense continued to play well, and it turned into easy opportunities on offense. Zaccharie Risacher benefited from it the most in the second quarter, where he scored on a shifty layup, and then on the next offensive possession, had a pull-up 3-pointer in transition.
That gave the Hawks a double-digit lead, and they maintained the lead throughout the remainder of the first half. The offense did sputter at times, but it was the defense that kept them in the lead. Going into halftime, the Hawks led 53-44.
The start of the second half was different for the Hawks, as they let go of the rope a little and allowed the Raptors to get back into the game, cutting their lead down to as low as three. The Hawks were able to extend the lead again, with the help of Kristaps Porzingis.
The Hawks got some easy points in the third quarter, and it was off of ball movement and getting in transition. The Raptors were still able to hang on in the game and had their deficit within a manageable margin.
Toward the end of the third, the Hawks went into a cold spell on offense, but were still able to keep the lead going into the fourth.
Porzingis kept things going for the Hawks in the fourth, taking advantage of his mismatches in the post.
It wasn’t enough because the Hawks went back into their cold spell on offense, and the Raptors were able to take the lead. Many of the shots the Hawks made in the first half weren’t falling, while the opposite happened with the Raptors.
Dyson Daniels was able to get them out of their slump with a 3-pointer late in the quarter.
Outside of the 3-pointer, the Hawks struggled to find any consistent offense down the stretch of the quarter, which doomed them. The Raptors continued to pile on the points, and the Hawks didn’t have many answers. In the end, the Hawks ultimately lost, and fell to 1-1 in NBA Cup group stage play.
Johnson finished with 21 points, seven rebounds, and four assists; Alexander-Walker finished with 20 points, Porzingis finished with 17 points and seven rebounds, and Risacher finished with 16 points and five rebounds.
The Hawks will be back in action tomorrow against the Los Angeles Lakers.
