Trae Young delivered a dominant performance with 34 points and 10 assists, while De’Andre Hunter added 22 points as the Atlanta Hawks rolled past the Toronto Raptors 136-107 on Sunday night, securing their fourth straight win.
Clint Capela contributed 11 points and 13 rebounds as the Hawks kicked off a six-game road trip by dealing the struggling Raptors their 10th consecutive defeat.
Scottie Barnes led Toronto with 19 points, while RJ Barrett chipped in 17, but the Raptors were overwhelmed early, trailing by more than 30 points at one stage and surrendering over 130 points for the second straight game. Their defensive struggles followed a franchise-worst 155 points allowed in a loss to Memphis on Thursday.
Young was on fire from beyond the arc, hitting 7-of-13 three-pointers—matching the entire Raptors team, which combined to go 7-for-24 from long range.
Toronto received a boost with the season debut of Bruce Brown, who returned after missing the first 31 games following right knee surgery. Brown wasted little time making an impact, throwing down a one-handed dunk in the first quarter for his first points of the season. He finished with 12 points in 19 minutes.
Takeaways
Hawks: Atlanta’s defense was relentless early, forcing 10 steals in the first quarter alone and finishing with a season-high 22. Their previous best was 16.
Raptors: Center Jakob Poeltl returned to the lineup after missing four games with a strained left groin. He finished with 13 points.
Key Moment
The Hawks turned a six-point halftime lead into a dominant 22-point advantage by the end of the third quarter, exploding for 40 points in the period. Young led the charge with 12 points in the quarter, putting the game out of reach.
Key Stat
Toronto’s sloppy play proved costly, as the Raptors turned the ball over on their first five possessions and six of their first seven. They finished the opening quarter with as many turnovers (10) as made field goals and ended the night with a season-worst 31 turnovers.
Up Next
Toronto hits the road for a Tuesday afternoon matchup against the Boston Celtics, while Atlanta travels to Denver to face the Nuggets on New Year’s Day.
