Hawks 93, Raptors 92
ATLANTA -- The Atlanta Hawks had to overcome a 10-point halftime hole, dig in hard in the fourth quarter and survive a frenzied scramble in the final four seconds to beat the short-handed Toronto Raptors 93-92 Wednesday night at Philips Arena.
Josh Smith and Al Horford led the Hawks (26-19), Smith with 20 points and 11 rebounds, Horford with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Kyle Korver continued his 3-point shooting streak, adding 17 points.
The Raptors, already without four injured players, took the floor with only nine after trading Jose Calderon (to Detroit) and Ed Davis (to Memphis) before the game in a three-way deal for the Grizzlies' Rudy Gay.
Although the Raptors were somber in the locker room before the game, they didn't play that way. DeMar DeRozan had 23 points and John Lucas had a season-high 19 points off the bench.
Aaron Gray had eight points and 11 rebounds, and Kevin Lowry, who was a game-time decision (back spasms) but started for the depleted Raptors, added 14 points and 10 rebounds. Amir Johnson scored only six points but had 14 rebounds, and Alan Anderson had 15 points.
The Raptors (16-30) led by as many as 13 points in the second quarter and led the Hawks 55-45 at the half, thanks to an 18-8 run.
But the Hawks closed the gap to three points, 55-52, in the opening minutes of the third quarter, sparked by Jeff Teague's first points of the game -- a 3-point shot at the 10:15 mark -- and a Smith dunk. And once the Raptors went to a zone defense, the Hawks took charge, getting a 65-64 lead 3:29 left in the quarter on Smith's driving layup.
