Despite an offseason worthy of hype, the Atlanta Hawks fell flat in their season opener Wednesday night, dropping a 138-118 blowout at the hands of the Toronto Raptors at State Farm Arena. Three 20-point nights from Jalen Johnson, Trae Young, and Kristaps Porzingis weren’t enough, as a young Toronto squad ran through Quin Snyder’s team.
At the forefront of the 20-point defeat was a slew of defensive issues. Toronto blew by Atlanta’s perimeter defenders time and time again, forcing quick rotations and potential missed assignments. What followed was an eye-popping 86 points in the paint for the Raptors, 30 more than Atlanta recorded.