Atlanta Opens Their Season With Discouraging Blowout Loss To Toronto

The Hawks were one of the most talked about teams in the offseason and while they still might fulfill those high expectations, their opening game of the season was one to forget.

Atlanta's defense, which was supposed to be an upgraded unit, struggled to get a stop all night against the Raptors, who are not expected to be among the league's better offensive teams. They struggled in transition and the most disappointing part of the night might be the Hawks new additions.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker (2-15, 1-5 from three), Luke Kennard (2-7. 1-5 from three), and Kristaps Porzingis (5-12) struggled for the majority of the night. Not only that, but Dyson Daniels was in foul trouble right from the jump and made no impact on the game at all.

A poor night on both ends of the floor gave way to a big let down for an anticipated season opener for the Hawks.

Jalen Johnson was a lone bright spot, finishing with 22 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. Trae Young finished with 22 points and five assists and Porzingis finished with 20 points and seven rebounds. Overall, Atlanta shot 42% from the field and 29% from three.

Toronto shot 57% from the field and 24% from three tonight vs the Hawks. It was a strong night for RJ Barrett (25 points, eight rebounds, and five assists), Scottie Barnes (22 points, nine assists, and six rebounds), and 21 points off the bench from Grady Dick. In his Raptors debut, Brandon Ingram scored 16 points.

The highly anticipated season for the Hawks began with a tough first half against the Raptors and it only got worse from there.

The Hawks offense could not find a rhythm early, committing four first quarter turnovers and star defender Dyson Daniels was in early foul trouble. The good news for Atlanta is that they were getting to the free throw line. With four minutes left in the first quarter, the Hawks were 4-11 from the field, but were 9-10 from the line, while the Raptors had yet to even go to the line. It was a 23-17 Toronto lead.

Look at Jalen's hangtime on this assist 😮 pic.twitter.com/mO7Q2JfPeO
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) October 23, 2025

The offense managed to get something going towards the end of the quarter, with much of that coming from star forward Jalen Johnson. Johnson finished the first frame with 12 points and the Hawks trimmed the lead to 36-34 heading into the second.

The Hawks shot 45% from the field and 33% from three in the opening quarter, but were 13-15 from the line. On the other side, Toronto shot 54% from the field and 44% from three. They only attempted two free throw attempts.

The second quarter did not start well for the home team.

The Raptors started the quarter on a 13=5 run and pushed the lead to ten points. The Hawks offense was stagnant and it looked like Toronto was going to begin to pull away.

However, Risacher and Porzingis were able to get the Hawks offense going towards the end of the first half. Atlanta cut into the lead and trailed 65-59 going into the locker room. They shot 44% from the field in the first half and 38% from three. The key for them was going 17-20 from the free throw line. They had nine turnovers and only one offensive rebound in the first half.

Toronto shot 51% from the field and 29% from three in the first half.

The third quarter was a chance for the Hawks to get things together, but it went the other way.

Risacher scored seven quick points in the quarter and Atlanta looked was starting to piece things together, but turnovers and fast break points continued to be their undoing. By the middle of the third quarter, Toronto held a 28-6 edge in fast break points and were dominating the Hawks with strong ball pressure and forcing them into mistakes.

The Raptors outscored the Hawks 43-28 in the third and took a 23 point lead into the final quarter.

Atlanta could not pull the game any closer after their disastrous third quarter. The Raptors earned a convincing win and this Hawks season is going to begin 0-1.

The Hawks will be back on the court Friday night in Orlando against the Magic.

More Atlanta Hawks News: