Atlanta Hawks ease past the Toronoto Raptors 100-87
The Atlanta Hawks thrashed the Toronto Raptors 100-87 at Philips Arena, to condemn them to their 13thconsecutive defeat of the 2010-11 season.
It took Joe Johnson a month and a half to get his sizzling shooting touch back after a surgery on his right elbow. Johnson registered a season-high 37 points for the Hawks, who have won four straight games against the Raptors overall.
Johnson seems to be very satisfied with his recovery. He told reporters, "I have been taking my time. My body is feeling pretty good now."
Josh Smith scored 18 points and 11 rebounds for Atlanta, who have won five of their last eight contests. Al Horford continued his mid-range shooting display by finishing with 12 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists for the Hawks, who are now 16-7 at home.
Amir Johnson led the Raptors with a team-high 20 points while DeMar DeRozan contributed 16 points in the defeat. Sonny Weems and Andrea Bargnani posted 12 points each for Toronto, who dropped to a 5-22 record on the road during the current season.
Match Analysis
Atlanta came into the game at the Philips Arena on the back of five victories against Toronto on Wednesday night, and they added another one by thrashing the visiting Raptors for the sixth time. The Raptors allowed their opponents to score 100 points for
the ninth straight game.
The Raptors got it going offensively early in the first quarter, to take a 28-24 lead into the second. Atlanta came back strongly in the second quarter as their movement on the court improved and they managed some crucial layup shots. The Raptors played
some sloppy shots to allow the Hawks to turn a four-point deficit into a 54-45 lead at half time.
Toronto went on a great 10-0 run in the third which consisted of three free throws and a pair of three-pointers from Amir Johnson and Andrea Bargnani. However, the Hawks managed to take a 75-69 advantage into the fourth.
Joe Johnson said, "We pretty much dictated how we wanted the game to be played. We had a mental lapse in the second half. We were able to pick it back up and close the game out."
For the remainder of the evening, the Raptors tried their best to make a comeback after trailing by as many as 13 points with six minutes remaining in the final stanza. Nevertheless, the deficit was too large for them to overcome, and the Hawks were able
to hold them at bay in the fourth with some huge shots from Joe Johnson and Josh Smith.
Toronto Head Coach Jay Triano said after the game, "It was tough tonight defensively just because we could not stop Joe (Johnson). I want our guys to be a little more accountable man-to-man. I am not going to bail them out and let them play zone."
Raptors Injury Report
Toronto reserve Jerryd Bayless scored six points in 15 minutes but he left the game with a sprained right knee. While shooting guard Leandro Barbosa has now missed two weeks of action because of a strained right hamstring.
The 30-year-old Reggie Evans was also absent as he underwent surgery on Tuesday to repair a non-displaced fracture of the fifth metatarsal bone in his right foot. Meanwhile, forward Linas Kleiza did not make the trip as he is under day-to-day observation
due to a knee injury.
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