Hawks at Raptors
The Toronto Raptors are scoring points in bunches with one of the NBA’s top offenses and look to extend their winning streak to six games when they host the struggling Atlanta Hawks on Saturday. The Raptors had no problem downing the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday, rolling to a 113-80 triumph that followed efforts of 120 points against Memphis on Wednesday and 122 versus Philadelphia two days earlier.
And there are plenty of offensive contributors fueling the Raptors, who are averaging 109.9 points per game. DeMar DeRozan ranks among the league leaders in scoring at 28.2 points per contest, Kyle Lowry followed a season-high 29-point effort on Wednesday with 24 against Los Angeles and the Raptors’ bench has averaged 44.7 over the last three games. Atlanta is heading in the opposite direction as Friday's 121-85 setback against visiting Detroit was its fifth straight loss and eighth in nine games. The Hawks played without leading scorer Paul Millsap, who was sidelined with a sore left hip that coach Mike Budenholzer told reporters also would keep the 6-8 forward out of Saturday’s contest.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSN Southeast (Atlanta), Sportsnet (Toronto)
ABOUT THE HAWKS (10-10): Atlanta started the season 9-2 but has scored 100-plus points just twice in its last nine games, shooting 36.4 percent on Friday while Detroit made 17 3-pointers. Dwight Howard ranks among the league’s best in rebounding at 12.5 per contest, but the Hawks’ starting five (Thabo Sefolosha filling in for Millsap) on Friday combined for 38 points on 15-of-41 shooting. Dennis Schroder finished with a double-double (17 points, 11 assists) and is averaging 8.5 assists over his last four contests.
ABOUT THE RAPTORS (13-6): Lowry hit 6-of-9 shots from 3-point range Friday and is heating up from beyond the arc, making 37 3-pointers in the last 10 games after hitting 18 in the first nine. Guard Cory Joseph came off the bench to score 14 points on 7-of-10 shooting Friday and is averaging 12.7 over his last six contests. Toronto shot 54.2 percent in beating the Lakers, committing only 10 turnovers as Lowry and DeRozan combined for 13 assists.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Atlanta rookie G Malcolm Delaney missed just his second free throw of the season Friday as he is 28-of-30 from the line.
2. DeRozan’s 6-of-18 shooting performance moved him past Vince Carter for second place on Toronto’s all-time list for made field goals.
3. The Raptors beat the Hawks three times in four tries last season, winning both games played in Toronto.