Hawks bludgeoned in 108-93 loss to Raptors

The Atlanta Hawks completed a six-game homestand with a 3-3 record and, by the standards of this season, that is likely a success. However, the stretch ended with a thud on Wednesday evening, as the Hawks were blasted by the visiting Toronto Raptors to the tune of a 108-93 final score.

From the outset, things were ugly for the home team, as Atlanta fell into a hole on the scoreboard. The Raptors used an 11-0 run to take a 17-6 lead and the Hawks started 3 of 13 from the floor with three turnovers. While things stabilized to some degree for the rest of the period, Atlanta shot 33 percent in the first 12 minutes and, with an offensive rating of 61.4, it almost felt fortunate to see the Hawks down only 12.

The second quarter was marked by more of the same, with the Raptors scoring nine straight to take a 21-point lead midway through the period. Atlanta did not make a three-point shot until the final two minutes of the half and, when combined with 36 percent shooting, the Hawks were only able to climb within an 18-point margin at the break.

While the Hawks were able to slash the lead to 14 in the early portion of the third quarter, order was quickly restored and, in fact, the Raptors quickly pushed their advantage to 25 points. The end result of that particular 12-minute stretch was a 20-point deficit (after both Dennis Schröder and Kent Bazemore played the entire quarter) and, as the fourth arrived, optimism was not overly present when it came to the prospects of a comeback.

On cue, that push never materialized and the Raptors actually extended the lead with 13 consecutive points. That resulted in as much as a 32-point spread and, from there, everything was garbage time over the final nine minutes of action before settling on the 15-point final gap.

The Hawks will be in action again on Friday with the team’s first road game in two weeks, as Atlanta will take on the Charlotte Hornets. Stay tuned.