Josh Smith wouldn’t let the Hawks fall behind early – or late.
Smith keyed decisive Hawks’ runs in the first and fourth quarters en route to a 93-84 victory over the Raptors in Monday’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day matinee at Philips Arena.
Smith scored a game-high 28 points, two off his season-high, in the win. He scored 10 points during a 12-2 Hawks’ first-quarter run, in which they turned a six-point deficit into a 15-11 lead. They would never trail after his dunk during the run. Smith also scored the Hawks’ first six points of the fourth quarter after the Raptors had pulled within two points at 73-71.
“I think I’m in a different state of mind,” Smith said. “I’m playing as hard as I’ve ever played. I dedicate all this to my offseason work ethic and the amount of effort I put in knowing how big of a season this is and wanting to get better.”
Smith also had 15 rebounds his sixth double-double of the season. The Hawks are 5-0 in games Smith scores 20 or more points.
“I thought he played a very solid game,” coach Larry Drew said. “I know he got a little winded but he was terrific on both ends of the floor. … He ran the floor very well early. When he plays with that type of energy and that type of emotion it fuels the rest of our guys.”
The Hawks (10-4, 6-1 at home) have won three straight and six of their past seven games. They kept pace with the Magic and remain just percentage points behind for first in the Southeast division. The Raptors (4-10) lost their fifth straight to the Hawks.
Joe Johnson added 27 points, including seven in the fourth quarter.
The Hawks are 3-0 since losing two-time All-Star Al Horford for up to four months with a torn pectoral muscle. Horford is scheduled to have surgery Tuesday. In those three games, Johnson is averaging 25 points and Smith is averaging 22 points and 12 rebounds.
“I’m not surprised because we have guys in this locker room who can play,” Smith said. “We have veteran leadership, guys who have been there and done that before. All we need is to keep flying under the radar. The media is definitely not creating a magnet on us and showing everybody how under rated this team is.”
Drew was concerned the Hawks would not play up to its potential against the Raptors, who lost for the seventh time in eight games. The Raptors were missing Andrea Bargnani, ninth in NBA in scoring (22.3), out with a sprained calf.
“Sometimes you do have a tendency to look at a team’s record and you just don’t go out there with same urgency with a powerhouse team that’s coming in here,” Drew said. “That is just one of the areas where we are going to have to grow as a team.”
Drew also credited point guard Jeff Teague for his fourth-quarter play. The Hawks regained control after the Raptors’ zone defense gave them the troubles.
Teague was assessed a technical foul with 8:43 remaining in the final quarter for exchanging words with the Raptors’ Jamaal Magloire. After Magloire missed the free shot, the Hawks built two leads of 10 points to finish off the Raptors.
“I thought Jeff got a little more aggressive in the fourth quarter, particularly after he got that technical foul. He flipped the switch and got more aggressive.”
Teague finished with 13 points, four in the final quarter.
“I think I got a little more aggressive,” Teague said. “We picked it up defensively as a unit. That was the [difference] in the game.”
Guard Leandro Barbosa came off with bench to lead the Raptors with 22 points.
The Hawks got Tracy McGrady back after he missed the past three games with back spasms. McGrady played eight minutes in the first half. However, he told Drew his back stiffened after halftime and he did not return.
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