Raptors-Hawks Preview

By BRETT HUSTON
Posted Apr 14 2012 3:55PM

The Atlanta Hawks still have their sights set on home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. They could get it if their bench keeps contributing the way it has recently.

Atlanta has won four of five and its next three games are against Eastern Conference bottom feeders, starting with Sunday's opener of a home-and-home set with the Toronto Raptors at Philips Arena.

The Hawks (35-24) came into April getting little from their reserves - their 27.6 points per game were seventh-fewest in the league - but suddenly the second unit has been providing plenty of production. Atlanta's bench has averaged 42.4 points in five games this month, including a season-high 58 in Friday's 109-81 rout at Orlando.

"If we keep getting bench production like that over the next six or seven games going into the playoffs, we are going to be a scary ball club in the postseason," starter Josh Smith told the league's official website.

Atlanta is 11-4 when getting at least 35 points from its reserves.

Smith has been awfully good himself lately, averaging 23.6 points and 10.1 rebounds as the Hawks have won nine of 13. Friday's win put them a game ahead of Orlando for the East's No. 5 seed - Atlanta also owns the tiebreaker - but there's a possibility of an even better finish.

Though the Hawks have a better record than Boston, they can't overtake the Celtics because the Atlantic Division winner will automatically earn a top-four seed. They can, however, catch Indiana, which has a slight lead on Atlanta - but Larry Drew's club also owns that tiebreaker and will play six of its final seven games at home.

The Hawks are 23-6 against sub-.500 opponents, which should bode well for their next three contests - Sunday and Monday against Toronto (21-39) and Wednesday's visit from Detroit.

Atlanta has averaged 110.0 points and shot 43.0 percent from beyond the arc while winning seven straight in this series at home, and it has won six in a row overall against the Raptors.

The Hawks have won 10 consecutive games versus Toronto with Joe Johnson in the lineup, with the six-time All-Star averaging 23.9 points.

Johnson has had to do less lately with Smith's surge and the increased production from Jannero Pargo, Marvin Williams and the rest of the bench. He's averaged 13.0 shots over his last six games, nearly three fewer than his season mark.

He hasn't hit 20 points in that stretch, but Atlanta isn't better when Johnson's role diminishes. The Hawks are 17-2 when he goes for 21 points or more and 14-20 when he scores 20 or fewer.

Despite his success against Toronto, Johnson may find it tough to get good looks Sunday. The Raptors have held opponents to 88.4 points per game in April, and they limited Boston to 47 through three quarters Friday before hanging on for an 84-79 win.

"They did an excellent job of coming in offensively and defensively and taking it to a team that has been one of the hottest since the All-Star break," coach Dwane Casey said.

DeMar DeRozan led the way with 22 points. The Raptors are 15-16 when he scores above his 16.8 average and 6-21 when he doesn't, which may explain their recent failures versus Atlanta. The third-year guard has been held to 10.5 points per game on 38.8 percent shooting during Toronto's six-game slide against the Hawks.

The Raptors are shooting 19.7 percent from beyond the arc in that stretch.

DeRozan scores 23, Raptors beat Hawks 102-86

Posted Apr 16 2012 12:39AM

ATLANTA (AP) Long out of the playoff race, the Toronto Raptors are now playing the role of spoilers.

DeMar DeRozan scored 23 points and the injury-riddled Raptors beat the Atlanta Hawks 102-86 on Sunday night for their second straight win over a playoff-bound team.

Toronto coach Dwane Casey couldn't explain when asked how his team was managing to win now with three players on 10-day contracts while stars Andrea Bargnani, Jose Calderon and Jerryd Bayless are on the injury list.

"Believe me, if I knew I'd bottle it and we would've been doing it earlier in the year," Casey said. "Guys are just playing the right way, playing together, playing with a purpose. You've got guys who don't want to go down without a fight."

Alan Anderson added 16 points for the Raptors, who were coming off an 84-79 win against Boston on Friday. Ben Uzoh and rookie Justin Dentmon scored 10 points each. Anderson, Uzoh and Dentmon all have 10-day contracts that will expire Monday, when the teams play in Toronto.

Toronto, which shot 55 percent (41 for 74) from the field, never trailed and dealt Atlanta a big blow in its bid to get the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference.

"Very flat," said Hawks coach Larry Drew. "The energy level was very low."

Josh Smith scored 12 of his 26 points in the first quarter for the Hawks, who routed the Magic 109-81 Friday for their fourth win in five games.

Anderson, a former Michigan State star who played with the Bobcats in 2005-06, spent several seasons in Europe before averaging 21.5 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists while with the D-League's Canton Charge prior to his Toronto callup.

He looked comfortable in the first half when he scored 14 points on 5-for-7 shooting, including 3 for 3 on 3-pointers. He made two 3s in the final minutes of the second quarter as Toronto closed the first half with a 12-2 run.

Anderson is averaging 8.4 points while shooting 44 percent and 51.5 percent from beyond the 3-point arc.

"Coach keeps saying, `Make the extra pass; share the ball.' We're passing up good shots for great shots," Anderson said. "Everybody wants to stay in the NBA."

Trailing by 14 at halftime, Atlanta opened the third quarter with a 15-6 run to pull to 59-54 on Kirk Hinrich's layup with 6:29 left in the period. However, Toronto scored the next seven points - five by DeRozan - and the Hawks never got closer than seven points again.

James Johnson's 20-foot jumper gave Toronto its biggest lead, 94-70, with 4:22 left in the game. He finished with 15 points for the Raptors, who also got 10 points from reserve forward Ed Davis.

Ivan Johnson had 14 points and seven rebounds for Atlanta, and Willie Green also scored 14.

"I think this is a game we need to think about," Green said. "We're supposed to be betting prepared for a playoff run. It was a letdown tonight on our part."

The Hawks (35-25) are tied with the Magic for the No. 5 spot in the East, and Atlanta owns the tiebreaker.

Boston is one-half game up at No. 4, but if the Celtics and Hawks end up tied, Boston will get the nod by virtue of winning its division and winning the season series against Atlanta.

The third-place Pacers are three games ahead of the Hawks.

Toronto made 20-of-34 shots (59 percent) in the first half on the way to a 53-39 lead. DeRozan had 15 points in the half,and Anderson added 14.

Atlanta was at 34 percent (14 for 41), with Smith account for half of the made shots at 7 for 12. All-Star guard Joe Johnson was just 1 for 8 before finishing with seven points on 2-for-12 shooting.

NOTES: The Hawks were missing their top two centers - Al Horford (torn pectoral muscle) and Zaza Pachulia (sprained left foot) - and backup Jason Collins contributed just one point and one rebound in five-plus minutes. Atlanta was outscored 46-28 in the paint.

Notebook: Raptors 102, Hawks 86

Posted Sunday April 15, 2012 10:16PM

By Matt Winkeljohn, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: Sunday was all about role reversal when the woebegone Raptors visited the surging Hawks. DeMar DeRozan scored 23 points, and Toronto made 55.4 percent of its shots to whip the Hawks 102-86 for their second straight win over a playoff-bound team.

The Hawks, who still have a mathematical shot at the No. 3 seed in the East as they trail the Pacers by three games, played poor defense and other than Josh Smith -- who scored 26 points on 11-for-20 shooting -- were generally dreadful. All other Atlanta players combined to make just 18-of-52 shots, and All-Star guard Joe Johnson scored just seven points on 2-for-12 shooting.

The Hawks never led, trailed 53-39 at halftime after routing the Magic on Friday in Orlando for their fourth win in five games, and were behind by 24 points in the middle of the fourth quarter.

D-League callup Alan Anderson started for the seventh time and scored 16 points for Toronto, 14 coming in that first half (when DeRozan scored 15 and the Raptors shot 58.8 percent).

QUOTABLE: "We still have pride, we're still men, and this is our job."
-- Toronto reserve forward James Johnson, who had 15 points (all in the fourth quarter) and four rebounds in one of his best performances since he and head coach Dwane Casey got into a spat of sorts a while back.

THE STAT: 46-28: Even with high-caliber starting forward-center Andrea Bargnani shut down for the remainder of the season with a strained left calf, the Raptors outscored Atlanta 46-28 in the paint. The Hawks sorely missed center Al Horford, who's been out since January with a torn pectoral muscle, and after Zaza Pachulia went down with a sprained left foot Friday in Orlando, that left Jason Collins to start at center. He had one point and one rebound in 5:26. On the plus side, sort of, rookie forward Ivan Johnson had 14 points and seven rebounds off the bench for Atlanta.

TURNING POINT: The Hawks weren't playing well, having fallen behind 21-11 in the first quarter, but they more or less righted themselves through the bulk of the second quarter. Then, the Raptors closed the half with a 12-2 run as Anderson hit two 3-pointers and Ben Uzoh -- like Anderson a D-League call-up -- added four in that span.

The Hawks cut a 53-39 halftime deficit to five points with a 15-6 run to open the second half, but Toronto scored the next seven points and never saw its lead drop below seven points again.

QUOTABLE II: "Give Toronto credit. They were better than us tonight. If we come out and start like that [Monday, in Toronto], they'll be better than us [Monday]. We'll see."
-- Joe Johnson.

HOT: Anderson made 5-of-7 shots in the first half, including all three of his treys, for 14 points. . . . Josh Smith scored 12 points in the first quarter, making 6-of-9 shots with three rebounds. He had 11 points in the third quarter. . . . The Raptors shot 68.8 percent in that second quarter, making 11-of-16 shots. DeRozan scored nine points on 4-for-5 shooting. . . . In his red-hot fourth quarter, James Johnson made 6-of-8 shots and 3-of-4 free throws. . . . In the fourth quarter, Willie Green scored 11 points off the bench for the Hawks.

NOT: Joe Johnson made just 1-of-8 shots in the first half on the way to a 2-for-12 night. . . . Atlanta point guard Jeff Teague had one of his least productive games of the season with two points, two assists, a steal and a turnover. He made 1-of-4 shots.

GOOD MOVE: Casey called quite a bit of zone defense, and it frequently seemed to flumox the Hawks.

BAD MOVE: Starting Collins provided the Hawks no discernible advantage.

NOTABLE: Toronto has some decisions to make. The second 10-day contracts of Anderson and Uzoh (who started and scored 10 points) expire today. Also, the first 10-day contract of rookie guard Justin Dentmon -- like Anderson and Uzoh a D-League call-up -- expires today as well. . . . Even with centers Horford and Pachulia sidelined, Hawks head coach Larry Drew did not play 15-year veteran center Erick Dampier. Interestingly, former Cavs center Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who played last season with Miami before saying last September that he was retired, was in attendance Sunday. He may be a candidate to sign with the Hawks.

UP NEXT: For the Raptors, Monday vs. Hawks, Wednesday @ Heat, Sunday @ Pistons. For the Hawks, Monday @ Raptors, Wednesday vs. Pistons, Friday vs. Celtics.

• Raptors: Bargnani, Bayless
• Hawks: Horford, Pachulia

• Raptors: --
• Hawks: Smith

• Lead Changes: 0
• Times Tied: 1

• Arena: Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA
• Officials: #32 Eddie F. Rush, #47 Bennie Adams, #79 Kevin Scott
• Attendance: 13845
• Duration: 2:12