Raptors at Hawks
The Toronto Raptors look to complete a season sweep of Atlanta for the
first time in 14 years when they visit the Hawks on Thursday. Toronto
won the first three meetings by an average of 8.7 points, including a
105-97 home win on March 30.
The Raptors have clinched the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference and are close to being locked into the spot as the Cleveland Cavaliers are on pace to sew up the top seed. "The only thing we do is focus on us, just us, and finishing out these last five games," forward Patrick Patterson told reporters. "Treating them like playoff games and staying focused." Atlanta is in a three-way tussle with the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat for the third seed with the Charlotte Hornets also in close proximity. "Most of our motivation was having something to fight for going into the playoffs," All-Star power forward Paul Millsap said after Tuesday's 103-90 comeback victory over the Phoenix Suns. "That's where our motivation comes from, just taking pride in who we are and what we're trying to accomplish."
TV: 8 p.m. ET, TSN4 (Toronto), FSN Southeast (Atlanta)
ABOUT THE RAPTORS (52-25): All-Star shooting guard DeMar DeRozan scored 26 in Tuesday's 96-90 win over the Charlotte Hornets, his third straight outing of 26 or more points. DeRozan (9,383) is just 37 points away from catching second-place Vince Carter on the franchise's all-time scoring list and he will likely catch first-place Chris Bosh (10,275) sometime next season. All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry has posted back-to-back 20-point outings after suffering through a five-game slump in which he made just 20-of-80 field-goal attempts.
ABOUT THE HAWKS (46-32): Atlanta lost back-to-back games and trailed struggling Phoenix by 13 in the third quarter before recovering for the victory. The defensive effort saved the day for the Hawks as they forced 24 turnovers and limited the Suns to 18 or fewer points in each of the final three quarters. "Our defense has been who we are through the whole season," Millsap told reporters, "so that's what we've got to lean on when times get tough."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Raptors have won seven of the past eight meetings.
2. Atlanta PG Jeff Teague has scored 20 or more points in three of the past four games and is averaging 23 during the stretch.
3. Toronto C Jonas Valanciunas has four double-doubles over the past seven games and has 21 for the season.