Atlanta fought back again, but the fourth quarter told the story. After cutting it to one late in the third, the Hawks opened the fourth with six straight misses, seven turnovers, and watched the Raptors rip off a 16-0 run that flipped the game for good. Back-to-back legs showed, and Toronto took full advantage.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker (31), Jalen Johnson (30/7/9), and Dyson Daniels (20 & 12 assists) did everything they could to keep it competitive, but the defensive edge from Friday in New York never showed up. Allowing 134 points — and 125+ for the 10th time in the last 10 losses — is hard to overcome no matter how well you score.

Quin Snyder pointed to unforced turnovers and energy dipping late. Daniels talked about matching Toronto’s physicality. Both felt accurate watching that fourth quarter.

So what’s the bigger issue right now?

• Fatigue from heavy minutes and short rotations? • Missing Trae Young’s control late in games? • Defensive identity slipping too often? • Or just a bad matchup with Toronto’s pressure?

Atlanta gets one more shot at the Raptors on Monday, still in Toronto. What has to change for this team to avoid the sweep?