Raptors dominate fourth quarter to pull away from Hawks | Toronto Sun
Toronto hit 14-of-29 threes in hitting a season-high for points, while 7-6 Atlanta hit 10-of-24 from outside. Toronto’s win was another true team effort, with the starters going to work early, the bench dominating late, and Lou Williams putting points on the board throughout. DeMar DeRozan had 27 points, Williams 22 and Vasquez, shaking off a season-long shooting slump, chipped in with 21. Vasquez scored 12 of his points in the fourth quarter, a frame the Raptors entered leading only by three points. “That’s what it’s all about, that’s what it’s going to take to win. Not just me. Not just Kyle (Lowry, who 13 assists and 14 points). It’s going to take a collective effort, honestly,” DeRozan said afterward.
The Toronto Raptors: Simply winning | ESPN
But as the first month of the season comes to a close, the Raptors have elevated pragmatism to an art form. They’ve taken several imperfect offensive pieces, identified what each one does best, and tripled-down on that skill. “Everyone stays in their lane,” as Casey likes to say. That might lack the flair of his innovative defenses, but discipline is its own kind of creativity. And right now, the Raptors have created something beautiful in its simplicity.
Getting Lou Williams was a steal for Raptors | Toronto Sun
Atlanta’s loss was Toronto’s gain. The native of nearby Lithonia, Ga., made his return to the state Wednesday, against the team that dealt him to the Raptors last summer in exchange for some financial flexibility. So far, Masai Ujiri’s pilfering of Williams and centre prospect Lucas Nogueira has been one of the NBA’s top off-season deals. Williams has averaged 13.6 points in 19.8 minutes per game, but has also impressed head coach Dwane Casey with his defence. “He’s been one of our solid defenders on our second unit,” Casey said pre-game Wednesday. “Being in the right position in the schemes. A great teammate. He’s been more than we expected. I knew that he was an excellent player, but you go in with reservations coming off the injury. He’s back 100% now, he’s stronger from it, so he’s been a pleasant plus for us so far.”
Raptors have the heart to withstand nervous times | Sportsnet.ca
But go back just a couple of weeks ago to the loss against the Chicago Bulls, when the Raptors coughed up a comfortable lead. Despite a valiant Lowry-led comeback effort of their own — nearly erasing a 14-point fourth quarter deficit — there was a familiar, sinking feeling in the wake of that game, like the bubble was about to be burst on the Raptors’ scorching start to the 2014-15 campaign. Turns out it was the heart shown in those final minutes against Chicago — and not the blown lead — that spoke bigger volumes about this Raptors team. They don’t get down, know their strengths and each other, and are playing together and with more confidence than ever. It’s a big reason why they’re able to close games out like we saw on Wednesday. And so, after Teague’s layup brought the Hawks within striking distance, Lowry coolly collected the ball and brought it up the court. He drew the defence toward him en route to the hoop and found Amir Johnson for an open dunk, giving the Raptors star point guard (and latest Sportsnet Magazine cover boy) his 13th assist of the night. The dunk more or less sealed the game, and gave Johnson his 10th point, bringing all starters into double figures.
Raptors take down Hawks in Atlanta | Toronto Star
“When you get 22 and 21 points out of your second-unit guards, as we say in Kentucky — you’re cooking with gas,” said Raptors coach Dwane Casey after the win, the team’s sixth in a row. “I thought our bench came in and changed the game. They gave us great energy.” With the win, the Raptors’ record moved to 13-2 on the season, extending their lead atop the NBA Eastern Conference. It also put them at least temporarily into first place in the league, with the West-leading Memphis Grizzlies taking on the L.A. Lakers. Much of Toronto’s early-season success has come thanks to one of the deepest benches in the league, including Williams, whom the Raptors picked up this summer in a deal which sent John Salmons to the Hawks (the rights to Lucas Nogueira also came the Raptors’ way in the deal).
Lewenberg: Raptors continue to roll, winning sixth straight over Hawks | TSN
Despite the record, their effort out of the gate – over the first five games or so – was suspect and raised at least some cause for concern, but this recent stretch has been encouraging. They have defeated quality teams – Memphis, Cleveland, Phoenix and now Atlanta. They’ve won their last nine games by a combined 151 points (16.8 per victory) and they’re doing it in a multitude of ways, with a number of players stepping to the plate. The Raptors are now 13-2 to begin the campaign, showing no sign of slowing down anytime soon. Only four Eastern Conference teams have started a season with a record as good or better in the last 10 years. One made it to the Conference Semi’s, two advanced to the East Finals, the 2007-08 Celtics won the championship. “It’s definitley nice,” admitted DeRozan. “But we’re not looking at it at all. We’re moving on to the next one.”
On Fire in Hotlanta: Raptors Offense Explodes in 126-115 Win Over Hawks | Raptors HQ
The Hawks weren’t pushovers by any stretch. In the first half, they kept it close with the three-ball, dropping 8-of-13 in the opening 24. Jeff Teague led the team with 24 points and 12 assists, but Toronto bottled him up with double-teams from James Johnson and Patrick Patterson late. Al Horford had a nice night as well, dominating Toronto’s small ball lineups on his way to 23 points and nine rebounds. When it came to key stops, though – the Hawks had nothing. The Raptors did whatever they wanted to do on the offensive end, whether it was Lowry post-ups, transition 3’s or pick and roll jumpers. It just looked easy on that end of the floor tonight. Not only does the win give the Raptors a franchise-best 4-1 start on the road, it also means we’ve heard the last of the Phillips Arena organist, who played a contemporary classics medley nonstop for the entirety of the game. It even bled into timeouts.
Raptors 126, Hawks 115: The Revenge of Lou | Soaring Down South
The duo of Greivis Vasquez and Lou Williams combined for 43 points in 43 minutes of combined playing time. The pair also made 7 of 12 three-point shots on a variety of contested and open looks. It was a game of complete frustration for the Hawks. Williams hit a contested jumper at the end of the first quarter to give the Raptors a ten-point lead, and from there, the Hawks spent the rest of the night alternating between closing the gap and letting Toronto pull away.
Sadly, the defense let the Atlanta Hawks down in this spot. For the game, the visiting Raptors shot 51% from the field and 48% from 3-point distance, and aside from some fluky performances (i.e. from Vasquez and Williams), there were plenty of defensive issues to go around. Mike Budenholzer’s team will not have long to lick their wounds, as the Hawks are at home for another back-to-back on Friday and Saturday against New Orleans and Charlotte. Stay tuned to this space, but Atlanta will need much better work defensively in order to emerge with two victories.
Quick Recap: Raptors pull away from Hawks in the fourth | Raptors Watch
The result was never really in doubt, was it? Despite Atlanta keeping up with Toronto for three quarters, the Raptors looked comfortable, and by the time the final frame had rolled around, #wethefourth had already taken effect. It was a sparse crowd as expected. Seemingly the only people in attendance at one point were Lou Williams’ 40 relatives.
Game Rap: Raptors 126 Hawks 115 | Toronto Raptors
“They deserve credit,” said Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer post-game. “They made a lot of shots, made a lot of plays. Defensively, we’d like to be better. We’ll continue to get better. Tonight is a night that will test your mental toughness and test your physicality. For a lot of the night, we were good but you have to do it for 48 minutes against a good team.”
Heading into Wednesday’s games, the Raptors have a 2-1/2-game lead over the second-place Wizards and a 3-1/2-game lead over the Bulls. The Raptors have played the easiest part of their schedule, while the Bulls have played the toughest part of their schedule, caused by the annual residence of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey in the United Center. Slow your roll, Hollinger odds.
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