In this game, the Toronto Raptors would have yet another chance to obtain 50 wins in the regular season for the first time in franchise history. The Atlanta Hawks were in town to finish their three game road trip which had proven to be a success, with wins over the Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls before arriving in Toronto.
Toronto steadily built their lead through the first half, taking a 54-41 lead into the halftime break. The Raptors continued to build on that, and carried a 89-67 lead heading into the fourth quarter, but Atlanta turned up their intensity on both ends of the court in the final frame. The Hawks scored 30 points in the fourth quarter, while holding the Raptors to just 16, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the 22 point deficit heading into the fourth quarter. The Raptors held on to win, 105-97, and secured the franchise’s first ever 50 win regular season.
Jeff Teague was the only Atlanta Hawks’ starter to score in double digits for the game, finishing with 18 points. Tim Hardaway Jr. (15 points), Dennis Schroder (13 points), and Mike Scott (12 points) all scored in double figures for the Hawks off the bench.
Norman Powell started again for Toronto, and scored all ten of his points in the third quarter, helping to ignite a huge 35 point quarter for the Raptors, including this dunk where he proceeds to crossover Dennis Schroder and then attack the rim with authority:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHHzLEgz0mI]DeMar DeRozan shone bright in this game, scoring 26 points while also contributing six assists, five rebounds, and three steals. Jonas Valanciunas was active & efficient, earning 19 points on 9-13 shooting, while adding 9 rebounds.
Unfortunately, Kyle Lowry struggled again with his shooting, in large part due to the bursa sac on his right elbow that he’s playing through. Lowry managed to score 17 points, but went just 4 for 19 shooting in the game. He found other ways to make an impact, handing out 11 assists, and collecting six rebounds and two steals.
Terrence Ross has been providing spark off the bench as of late, and he continued that in this game with 13 points (5 of 10 shooting), three rebounds, and three steals. Patrick Patterson also had a solid line is his usual reserve role, although he played 33 minutes in this game. Patterson finished with nine points, seven rebounds, and three assists.
Postgame Reactions:
Dwane Casey
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zINPUd9OS_4]Norman Powell
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsdJ5trRtBI]DeMar DeRozan
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTL7IT28X5c].@DeMar_DeRozan joined #Gametime after the @raptors notched their 50th win. https://t.co/1xbpjGamv2
— NBA TV (@NBATV) March 31, 2016
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Kyle Lowry
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMk9yc3BoqY]Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
