Hawks end with flourish to beat Raps
Smith and Johnson lead the charge
ATLANTA — Josh Smith poured in 28 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, and the Atlanta Hawks continued to surge with a 93-84 victory over the Toronto Raptors Monday night.
Joe Johnson finished with 27 points and six assists for the Hawks, who have won three in a row and six of seven. Their last three victories have come without Al Horford, who will be out for the next three to four months because of a shoulder injury suffered last week. Leandro Barbosa netted 22 points to lead Toronto, which dropped its fifth consecutive contest. Amir Johnson had 13 points and 10 boards, while guard Jose Calderon finished with 13 points and 11 assists, but they couldn’t make up for the absence of several key players.
The Raptors played without leading scorer Andrea Bargnani (strained calf) and Jerryd Bayless (sprained ankle).
“We knew this was going to be a tough year, a very difficult year with the personnel and now definitely with Andrea and Bayless,” said Raptors head coach Dwane Casey. The Hawks were ahead by only two going into the fourth quarter, but opened the final period with eight consecutive points.
It wasn’t exactly an offensive showcase — Jeff Teague closed the run by making 1-of-2 foul shots with 7:55 left. The Raptors simply struggled on offence, missing their first 10 shots and a technical free throw, and turning the ball over twice.
Demar Derozan scored Toronto’s first points of the quarter on a layup with 6:45 to go, and Barbosa followed with a three to bring the Raptors within 81-76. But they couldn’t close the gap completely.
Inside two minutes to go, Smith tipped in a shot. After Toronto came up empty on its next two possessions, Johnson knocked down a three to secure the victory — it pushed the Hawks’ lead to 90-80 with 49.5 seconds left.
Johnson scored 17 points in the second half, while Smith ended with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
“I think I’m in a different state of mind,” Smith said. “I’m playing as hard as I’ve ever played.”