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 Entering the game, Atlanta had held eight straight opponents to no
better than .450 field goal shooting, including five games with
opponents shooting below .400.
Led by DeMar DeRozan's 11-of-20 shooting and game-high 30 points,
the Raptors shot 46.3 percent from the field.
"They did some stuff, got in passing lanes and used their hands a
little, but we were able to get downhill, attack, understand that
they don't have great shot-blockers," said Kyle Lowry, who finished
with 19 points and seven assists. "They play great team defense so
just get downhill and try to get to the basket."
The Raptors (43-20) have won 14 of their last 15 at home and won
both meetings with the Hawks this season.
Terrence Ross and Patrick Patterson each had 12 points off the
bench.
Lowry went coast-to-coast for a layup after picking off Jeff
Teague's pass to give Toronto its largest lead at 101-89 with 3:32
remaining and the Raptors never looked back.
"Tonight was our solid defense," said coach Dwane Casey as the
Raptors held the Hawks to 42.7 percent shooting. "I thought we
played solid, it was a grind it out game, 48-minute game, they're a
very good team across the board.
"You cut out one guy and somebody else rises up."
Atlanta (36-29) had its three-winning streak snapped and concluded
their five-game road trip 2-3.
"Credit Toronto. They made a lot of plays," Hawks coach Mike
Budenholzer said. "They got a lot of things that we were trying to
limit or trying to make difficult.
"We have to be a little bit sharper, a little bit better especially
on the road against a good team, but we competed, we played hard."
The Hawks were led by Al Horford's 20 points while Kent Bazemore
added 13 points and eight rebounds.
Toronto was two games back of Cleveland for top spot in the Eastern
Conference prior to the Cavaliers' late game against the Los Angeles
Lakers while Atlanta sits fifth, three games clear of ninth-place
Chicago.
"Maybe our energy went down a little bit in the second half," said
Horford, who went 3 for 5 from beyond the arc. "We weren't flying
around all over the place like we were earlier, so probably that had
something to do with it.
[to top of second column] |
"I think we're fine in our consistency on defense. As far as
tightening up on offense, we need to be a little more focused, do
things with more purpose in order for us to take the next step as a
team."
The Raptors took an 82-75 lead into the fourth quarter as DeRozan
led the way with 11 of Toronto's 30 third quarter points on 4-of-5
shooting from the field.
Horford led the Hawks with 12 third-quarter points as Atlanta was
held to 42 percent shooting through three periods.
Toronto held Atlanta to 40 percent shooting through two quarters and
took a 52-48 lead into the break.
DeRozan led all Raptors with 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting.
"It was great," DeRozan said of the defensive effort. "We understood
their rotations and tried to anticipate what they were going to
run."
NOTES: F Bruno Caboclo, C Lucas Nogueira and G Delon Wright were
recalled from the Raptors 905 of the NBA Development League before
tipoff. ... F Luis Scola returned to the Raptors' starting lineup
after sitting out Tuesday (rest). ... Toronto G Norman Powell
started his second consecutive game in place of F James Johnson. ...
Hawks F Mike Scott left the club for personal reasons. ... The
Raptors and Hawks have two more meetings this season. ... Atlanta
returns home to open a two-game homestand on Saturday against the
Memphis Grizzlies. ... Toronto continues its seven-game homestand on
Saturday against the Miami Heat.
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
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