Raptors 113, Hawks 96: DeMar DeRozan scored 30 points and hot-shooting Toronto dealt a blow to host Atlanta's chances of earning the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Rudy Gay added 22 points and Amir Johnson had 11 points, eight rebounds and a season-high six blocked shots as the Raptors won their fourth in a row and improved to 6-1 in their last seven games.
Kyle Korver scored 13 points and Ivan Johnson had 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Hawks, who dropped into a tie for fifth place with Chicago with one game left. The Bulls, who own the tiebreaker, host Washington while the Hawks visit New York on Wednesday.
DeRozan (19) and Gay combined for 36 points in the opening half as Toronto set a season high for points in rolling to a 68-51 lead into the break. The Raptors shot 66.7 percent in the first half and 70.6 (12-of-17) in the second quarter to seize control.
Atlanta whittled the deficit to 11 points and was within a dozen points with 5 1/2 minutes left in the third, but Gay and Kyle Lowry buried 3-pointers in a 10-1 spurt to push the lead to 21 points. The No. 5 seed will open the playoffs at Brooklyn and the sixth seed will face No. 3 Indiana in the playoffs.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Hawks F Josh Smith suffered a leg injury late in the second quarter and did not return. C Al Horford missed the game with a sore shoulder but is expected to accompany the team to New York for the regular-season finale. ... Raptors C Jonas Valanciunas scored 13 points in his return to the starting lineup after sitting out the previous two games with a neck injury. Teammate Terrence Ross appeared to re-injure the left ankle that forced him to miss the past two games. ... Korver went 3-for-4 from behind the arc to make it 73 consecutive games with at least one 3-pointer - the fourth-longest streak in league history.
Toronto | Atlanta | |
DeMar DeRozan 30 | Scoring | Kyle Korver 13 |
Kyle Lowry 11 | Assists | Jeff Teague 9 |
Amir Johnson 8 | Rebounds | Mike Scott 12 |
DeMar DeRozan 5 | Free Throws Made | John Jenkins 4 |
Kyle Lowry 3 | Steals | Kyle Korver 2 |
Amir Johnson 6 | Blocks | John Jenkins 1 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Toronto | 113 | 51.3 | 10-27 | 23-27 | 24 | 47 | 10 | 7 | 18 |
Atlanta | 96 | 39.8 | 9-28 | 17-23 | 22 | 42 | 1 | 8 | 11 |