Hawks at Raptors
The Toronto Raptors look to build off last season's success when they begin the 2014-15 campaign at home against the Atlanta Hawks. The Raptors won a franchise-record 48 games en route to the Atlantic Division title before bowing out to the Brooklyn Nets in the first round of the playoffs. Toronto has improved its win total every year under coach Dwane Casey and hopes to start the season with a bang by beating the Hawks for the third straight time at the Air Canada Centre.
Atlanta snuck into the playoffs to extend its post-season appearance streak to seven and gave the top-seeded Indiana Pacers all they could handle before falling short in Game 7. The Hawks failed to make a major splash in the free agent market but will be buoyed by the return of All-Star forward Al Horford, who missed the last four months of the season with a torn pectoral muscle. "I feel really good physically," Horford told reporters. "I'm just excited to be back on the court helping the guys and our team win."
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, SportSouth (Atlanta), TSN (Toronto)
ABOUT THE HAWKS (2013-14: 38-44): Atlanta set a team record by making 768 3-pointers last season and hit a franchise-best 10 or more triples in eight consecutive games. Jeff Teague hopes to increase his scoring average for the fifth straight year after putting up 16.5 points to go along with 6.7 assists in 2013-14. The Hawks completed a sign-and-trade with the Oklahoma Thunder to bring in Thabo Sefolosha in a move that will add another battle-tested player to the squad. "The great thing about our team is I think we have some really good depth," coach Mike Budenholzer told reporters. "We've got a lot of guys that really deserve to play."
ABOUT THE RAPTORS (2013-14: 48-34): Kyle Lowry signed a four-year, $48 million contract extension in the summer after averaging 17.9 points, 7.4 assists and 4.7 rebounds last season. DeMar DeRozan was named to his first All-Star team last year, becoming the fourth Raptor to earn that honor. Toronto kept the bulk of its roster in tact, with Lou Williams and James Johnson the only major additions to the team. "Lou and James both bring something different," Casey told reporters. "We had such a good rhythm with the guys coming back but we need Lou and James in the mix."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Raptors play nine of their first 12 games at home, where they finished 26-15 last season.
2. Toronto went a league-best 7-1 in preseason after beating the New York Knicks on Friday.
3. Atlanta SG Kyle Korver has hit at least one 3-pointer in 127 consecutive games.