NBA Recap: Atlanta Hawks script a 104-101 win over the Toronto Raptors
Jamal Crawford racked up a season and a game-high 36 points as the Atlanta Hawks took down the Toronto Raptors 104-101 at the Air Canada Centre. Crawford was terrific on the night and finished with a 12-for-23 shooting from the
floor and 4-for-11blitz from the 3-point line.
"He is a coach's dream when you talk about a guy that can come off the bench and get you going...He hit a huge three near the end. He shot that thing from almost half court." – Atlanta coach Larry Drew on the play of Jamal Crawford
Joe Johnson contributed 26 points and Al Horford registered 10 points and 13 rebounds for Atlanta, who have now won nine of the past eleven meeting against the Raptors. The real difference maker on the night though, was the Hawks
point guard, Mike Bibby. Although Bibby posted just eight points on the night, but he drilled a dagger from downtown with 8.9 seconds to go, as the Hawks just squeaked home.
The Raptors got 26 points apiece from Leandro Barbosa and Andrea Bargnani while Jose Calderon had 11 points and nine assists for Toronto, who have lost five of their seven previous games.
Atlanta Hawks were restless to rock back on the court after the game against the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday, did not happen due to weather conditions in Atlanta.
The teams had a cautious start to the game, however as soon as Crawford came off the bench, the scenario changed. Crawford scored Atlanta's final 11 points in the opening quarter as the Hawks sprinted to a 27-21 lead, heading into
the second.
Atlanta extended their offensive play to the second. Crawford got involved in a couple of offensive sets, mostly drawing fouls and getting to the free-throw line. In addition to that, he scored 11 more points in the second stanza,
taking a 60-55 lead at the halftime.
"He's a guy who can really heat up and score in bunches and he did that tonight," Johnson said of Crawford. "He was basically unstoppable in the first half. When you've got guys like that coming off the bench, you're a tough team."
Crawford did not score in the third and the Raptors came right back into the game. Barbosa played well for Toronto and tied it at 72 on a pair of free throws, with 2:08 left in the third. Later on, Barbosa gave Toronto their first
lead of the game when he stole the ball at midcourt and converted it into a layup. Toronto led 77-75 going to the final stanza.
Barbosa's three-point play extended the Raptors lead to 87-82 with 7:02 to go in the final buzzer. However, Atlanta fought back to tie it at 91 on a 3-pointer by Johnson, with 4:38 remaining. The see-saw battle continued and after
Bibby knocked down a 3-pointer in the dying seconds, the Raptors had a chance to tie the game. However, the attempted three from Andrea Bargnani was off the mark and the Hawks escaped with the victory.
"It looked good when it left his hand," Drew said of Bargnani's last-gasp effort. "He got a great look at it. We were fortunate that it was just a little bit short."
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