You read that score right.
 | Amir Johnson, PF 26 MIN | 5-9 FG | 0-0 FT | 7 REB | 2 AST | 1 STL | 1 BLK | 2 TO | 11 PTS | +25 +/- Hitting threes, getting blocks, moving feet, running back on D to contest guards at the rim. Nimble like a deer, he’s one to fear. |  |
 | James Johnson, PF 19 MIN | 3-4 FG | 1-1 FT | 4 REB | 0 AST | 2 STL | 2 BLK | 0 TO | 7 PTS | +16 +/- Korver tired to wander off of him and help on others. JJ noticed the disrespect and drove it every time to good effect. Chased Korver around screens when the Raps weren’t playing the switch, and once again showed his value as a starter. |  |
 | Jonas Valanciunas, C 25 MIN | 4-13 FG | 0-0 FT | 13 REB | 1 AST | 0 STL | 2 BLK | 1 TO | 8 PTS | +15 +/- His best defensive performance of the year, moving his feet to always be there for the contest. Made ever rotation asked of him, and set screens that could wipe out world hunger. Could’ve had a lot more points if it weren’t for missed chippies. |  |
 | Kyle Lowry, PG 25 MIN | 4-10 FG | 1-1 FT | 3 REB | 9 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 10 PTS | +19 +/- Good when it mattered, Teague was hot early but as the game got older, Lowry asserted his will on the game, especially in that third quarter where this stopped being a contest. That And1 against Teague was my highlight of the night. |  |
 | DeMar DeRozan, SG 28 MIN | 9-16 FG | 2-2 FT | 8 REB | 1 AST | 3 STL | 0 BLK | 3 TO | 21 PTS | +16 +/- Shot well against a sagging defense which set the tone early, had a couple bad turnovers against Carroll but made up for it by being very active in the passing lanes. Good to see him get the better of a guy who was playing him very aggressive on the perimeter (Carroll, that is). |  |
 | Patrick Patterson, PF 22 MIN | 3-8 FG | 0-0 FT | 3 REB | 2 AST | 2 STL | 2 BLK | 0 TO | 7 PTS | +15 +/- Not the greatest shooting night but the hustle on D was there, even chased Horford off the block a couple times and had good rotations to cover those Hawks threes. |  |
 | Tyler Hansbrough, PF 12 MIN | 1-2 FG | 1-2 FT | 3 REB | 1 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 3 PTS | -6 +/- Came in for a bit, looked around, didn’t like what he saw and sat down. |  |
 | Terrence Ross, SF 23 MIN | 1-8 FG | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 1 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 3 PTS | +9 +/- The lone stain on a glorious night. Too much positive to focus on him tonight. |  |
 | Greg Stiemsma, C 2 MIN | 0-0 FG | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 0 PTS | -7 +/- He was the human victory cigar. Against the Hawks. In Atlanta. Can you believe that? |  |
 | Chuck Hayes, C 5 MIN | 1-1 FG | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 0 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 2 PTS | +7 +/- Came in to give JV a breather and executed a left-handed hook shot. I kid you not. | |
 | Greivis Vasquez, PG 24 MIN | 3-10 FG | 0-0 FT | 3 REB | 8 AST | 0 STL | 1 BLK | 2 TO | 7 PTS | +1 +/- Poor shooting, better than expected D. Even got a block, it was that kind of night. His assist-game was strong today and he passed up a lot of looks in favor of the pass, which eventually led to scores and better ball movement. | |
 | Landry Fields, SG 4 MIN | 0-1 FG | 0-0 FT | 0 REB | 0 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 0 PTS | -8 +/- He’s like a deep sea creature that comes up for air once every two months and then goes back to lie in the bottom of the ocean..waiting…waiting…waiting… | |
 | Louis Williams, SG 24 MIN | 9-14 FG | 1-2 FT | 4 REB | 2 AST | 4 STL | 1 BLK | 1 TO | 26 PTS | +23 +/- He hates every former team. I’m telling you, this guy has a drive-game which we don’t see enough of. Had seven threes and very active in the backcourt with four steals. His drop-down help D on Atlanta bigs was huge, and how he negotiated screens with his quick feet against Korver, Teague, and anyone else was beauty. I dread facing him when he leaves the Raptors. | |
 | Dwane Casey Had the team up for a big game right after the All-Star game, which is a big ask. The collapse-and-close-out D worked well and Atlanta missed a lot of shots. Stuck with JV despite a poor offensive game, and the offense wasn’t nearly as one-on-one as we’ve seen of late. Lots of screens, lots of movement. Good stuff. | |
Four Things We Saw
- Hawks were 8-38 from three. Lot of them were clean looks, most were contested well enough because of the Raptors communication on D. Mixing it up by switching on some, and not on others kind of threw them off a little.
- This was a close game at the half until the Raptors outscored the Raps by 15 in the third quarter. In that third, Atlanta shot 16% and went 0-8 from three. The Raptors shot 46%, but it was their defense on Atlanta’s perimeter players, specifically Korver who the Hawks went to on many a possession, that resulted in empty Atlanta possessions. Big props to James Johnson for his play in that quarter.
- The Raptors were up by 35 at one point against the best team in the league on their home court. This sort of thing happens once in a lifetime. Just enjoy it. They’re now 4-0 on their “dreaded 8-game stretch”.
