Hawks falter in second half vs. Raptors, falling 139-109

The Atlanta Hawks were in Toronto on Halloween night to face the Raptors. Unfortunately it was not a good one for the Hawks, as they lost 139-109

Both teams traded buckets through the first quarter. Dejounte Murray found Clint Capela for this nice bounce pass early in the game.

Through the second half of the first quarter, the Hawks lost their footing as turnovers piled up, which led the Raptors to get fast break opportunities. The Raptors were also starting to get comfortable on offense, extending their lead against the Hawks.

Though Trae Young had seven assists in the quarter, he was the reason for most of the Hawks’ turnovers with four.

The Hawks second unit, plus Murray, battled back in the second quarter and tied the game. Jalen Johnson also had a few nice plays to help keep the Hawks close, which was a welcoming sign for many.

Once the starters came back in for the Raptors, they began to pull away from the Hawks again as they created more turnovers and high-quality shots. The Hawks were not able to find a groove on offense due to the Raptors defense. At one point during the second quarter, the Raptors went on an 11-0 and, by halftime they were leading 64-53.

Things started to look better for the Hawks to start the second half as they began to get into a groove on offense. Unfortunately, the Raptors kept answering with shots of their own.

After a slow start in the first half, De’Andre Hunter came alive with a slew of threes to keep the Hawks close.

Just like towards the end of the first half, the Hawks couldn’t find much offense, which led the Raptors to extend their lead. The Hawks found themselves down 95-80 to end the third.

The fourth quarter wasn’t any better for the Hawks, as the Raptors continued to pile on the points.

Murray finished with 20 points and nine assists, Young finished 14 points and 10 assists, and Collins finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds.

The Hawks will be back on Wednesday to play the New York Knicks.

Stay tuned.