The Atlanta Hawks hope to complete a sweep of the top two teams in the Eastern Conference when they host the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday. The Hawks held off Washington, which owns the second-best record in the East, for a 106-102 win Tuesday. Next up is a visit from the Raptors, who are tied for the NBA's best mark after winning five straight and 10 of 11.
It's the second meeting this season, as Toronto beat visiting Atlanta 109-102 on opening night. The Raptors have erased double-digit deficits to win their last two road games and are looking to improve to 4-1 away from home for the first time in franchise history. The Hawks have won six of eight and are 5-1 at home.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, Sportsnet 360 (Toronto), SportSouth (Atlanta)
ABOUT THE RAPTORS (12-2): Guards DeMar DeRozan (20.2 points) and Kyle Lowry (18.4 points, 6.1 assists) continue to power Toronto at the offensive end, but the Raptors are getting production from everyone. Former Hawks guard Lou Williams (13.6 points) earned Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors after averaging 23.7 points in three games last week. Big man Jonas Valanciunas (12.3 points, 8.1 rebounds) continues to blossom, averaging 16 points and 9.4 rebounds over his past five games with three double-doubles, including a career-high 27 points to go with 11 rebounds in Monday's 104-100 win against Phoenix.
ABOUT THE HAWKS (7-5): Atlanta has a terrific inside-outside duo in point guard Jeff Teague (17.8 points, 6.6 assists) and forward Paul Millsap (17.7 points, 8.6 rebounds), who combined for 45 points against the Wizards. The Hawks have shown off some depth lately, though, with Mike Scott (9.4 points) and Shelvin Mack (4.2 points) providing the spark with a combined 30 points off the bench Tuesday. Center Al Horford (13.3 points, 6.4 rebounds) was in foul trouble all night against Washington and played only 23 minutes, so his legs should be fresh on the second night of the back-to-back.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Raptors are 8-0 when holding opponents under 100 points, while Atlanta has topped 100 in eight of its 12 contests.
2. Hawks SG Kyle Korver (1,542) needs one 3-pointer to pass Tim Hardaway for 18th on the NBA's all-time list and is four behind Eddie Jones for 17th.
3. Toronto is 45-2 when leading after three quarters since the start of last season, including 35 consecutive victories when taking a lead into the fourth.