DeRozan leads Raptors to ugly win over lowly Hawks
TORONTO — Maybe it was a wake-up call, or a lesson that needed to be taught. In either case, the lowly Atlanta Hawks put a scare into the Toronto Raptors.
DeMar DeRozan had 25 points as Toronto rode a late fourthquarter surge in a 106-60 victory over Atlanta on Tuesday night for the Raptors’ fifth-straight win.
Although ugly, it increased Toronto’s lead in the Eastern Conference to two games over the idle Boston Celtics. The win also underscored that the Raptors have to play hard for a full four quarters, even if it’s against a team like the Hawks, who entered the game tied for the third-worst record in the NBA.
“Look at film. Look at the mistakes. Look at the things we did wrong. Understand what’s our flaws at the beginning of the game,” said DeRozan when asked what he and his teammates could learn from the game.
All-star point guard Kyle Lowry was limited offensively, scoring four but adding seven assists as the Raptors (46-17) trailed for most of the game. Jonas Valanciunas had 15 points and seven rebounds.
Kent Basemore led Atlanta (20-45) with 14 points. John Collins added 14, while Dewayne Dedmon had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
In the first half, the Raptors shot 35.4 per cent from field-goal range and 33.3 per cent from beyond the arc. The Hawks were at 47.4 per cent field-goal shooting and 45.5 per cent, respectively. Atlanta had 11 turnovers to Toronto’s seven.