DeRozan scores 25, Raptors beat Hawks 106-90
TORONTO — For three quarters, the Toronto Raptors looked listless against the Atlanta Hawks.
Finally, in the fourth, the Raptors turned in an effort worthy of the top team in the Eastern Conference.
DeMar DeRozan scored 25 points, Jonas Valanciunas had 15 and the Raptors used a big fourth quarter to beat the Hawks 106-90 on Tuesday night, their fifth straight win.
C.J. Miles scored eight of his 14 points in the final quarter, and Delon Wright and Serge Ibaka each finished with 10 as the East leaders won for the 12th time in 13 games and completed their first season sweep of the Hawks since 2001-02.
Trailing 77-76 through three, Toronto outscored Atlanta 30-13 in the fourth. The Hawks shot 6 for 18 in the quarter and committed eight turnovers.
“If you don’t play, hustle is going to beat talent,” Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. “It shouldn’t take us three quarters to figure that out.”
DeRozan said the Raptors stepped up their aggressiveness in the final frame.
“Whenever we get a chance to get stops and just get out and play, we’re at our best,” DeRozan said. “It took until the fourth quarter for us to bring that out.”
The Raptors are 27-5 at home, the best record in the NBA. Toronto improved to 4-16 when behind after three.
“For three quarters it was some of the most competitive, best basketball we’ve played on both ends,” Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “We just kind of hit a wall in the fourth.”
Kent Bazemore and John Collins
each scored 15 points and Dewayne Dedmon had 12 points and 10 rebounds, but the Hawks lost for the sixth time in eight games.
“The fourth quarter was kind of tough,” guard Dennis Schroder said. “They made shots and got a couple of stops.” Atlanta is 5-26 on the road. The Hawks trailed 88-85 after a basket by Collins with 6:43 remaining, but Wright sandwiched baskets around a long 3-pointer by Miles as the Raptors took a 9585 lead with 4:15 to go. After an Atlanta timeout, Toronto’s Jakob Poeltl scored back-to-back baskets to put the Raptors up 99-85.
“Second half he really played,” Casey said of Poeltl.