The Toronto Raptors have continued their chase for the No.2 seed in the Eastern Conference, defeating the Atlanta Hawks and Vince Carter last night, 130-114.
It was a routine win for the hosts, who have 33 of them now, and are starting to look very good after all those injuries.
Coach Nick Nurse could count on all the players in the past few games, and that gave the Raptors a whole new dimension in their game. Last night’s contest also included three very special moments. The first one was a special video tribute for Kobe Bryant and standing ovations the crowd gave to the late legend. The second was Vince Carter’s appearance. We don’t have to tell you what it is like when Vinsanity comes to Toronto.
And third, was Kyle Lowry’s milestone. The Raptors point guard broke the all-time assist record of the franchise, eclipsing Jose Calderon 3,770 dimes.
“It was awesome to be able to get it here tonight, in front of the home crowd, in front of Vince,” Lowry said. “The longevity that I’ve been here, and to pass a guy like Jose.. means a lot.”
He would end the game with 12 points, 11 assists, and 8 rebounds in 33 minutes. The Raptors were led by Pascal Siakam and Serge Ibaka. The two athletic forwards had 24 points each, with Siakam posting 9 boards, and Ibaka adding 10.
Not once during the entire game did the Hawks had the lead. Immediately since the tip-off, Toronto took over the control and started pulling away from the rivals, quickly creating a double-digit lead at the end of the first period, 33-23. They continued at the same pace in the second and third and knocked out the guests from Georgia after the start of the final sequence. It was an 11-0 run that extended the Raptors’ lead to 28 points, putting the end on this match.
Apart from the above-mentioned guys, Terence Davis scored 15 points, off the bench, Marc Gasol 10, and Fred VanVleet had 19. The Raptors outrebounded the Hawks 52-44 and also forced 18 turnovers.
Atlanta had 12 threes in 47 shots, which was the main reason for their loss. Trae Young was 1-of-7, Kevin Huerter 2-of-9, and all that affected the guests.
“We could have made this game a little bit different with the defensive intensity,” head coach Lloyd Pierce said. “We lacked that, really, because the shots weren’t falling, and we let that affect us.”
John Collins scored 28 points and had 12 rebounds, shooting 11-of-14 from the field, and being perfect from the foul-line, hitting all his six shots. Young had 18 buckets and 13 assists, while Cam Reddish scored the same number of points with 6 boards.
Vince Carter had 10 points and five boards in 18 minutes on the court.
“Vince didn’t start the organization, but he kind of put it on the map and continued to make this thing grow,” Lowry said.
The Hawks are now facing the 76ers at home, on Thursday night. Right now, Pierce’s crew has 12 wins and 36 defeats. On the other side, the Raptors head for Cleveland to face the Cavs on the same day.
