Hawks 102, Raptors 95
ATLANTA -- Al Horford had 22 points and 16 rebounds, Kyle Korver scored 17 on five 3-pointers and Jeff Teague contributed 17 points and 12 assists in Atlanta's 102-95 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Friday, giving Mike Budenholzer his first victory as Atlanta coach in the team's home opener.
DeMar DeRozan had 31 points for Toronto, including 23 in the second half. But the Raptors (1-1) couldn't get closer than five points after trailing by 18 in the third quarter.
Atlanta (1-1) built a 70-52 lead just past the midpoint of the third quarter thanks to a 34-15 stretch dating to the final two minutes before halftime, and was up 79-68 going into the final period.
The Hawks led 49-39 at intermission after a closing 13-2 run that featured half of their six first-half 3-pointers. Toronto was outscored 24-15 in the second quarter while shooting 23.8 percent.
Korvar extended his streak from behind the arc to 75 games on Atlanta's first possession and hit again shortly afterwards. It was 3-pointers by DeMarre Carroll, Cartier Martin and Pero Antic, though, that sparked the Hawks late run in the second quarter, which was capped by Teague's breakaway dunk.
DeRozan made 14 of 23 shots, but Rudy Gay was just 6 of 23 en route to 14 points for the Raptors. Kyle Lowery scored 16 for Toronto and Paul Milsap had 15 points for the Hawks.
NOTES: Three-point specialist Steve Novak, acquired from the New York Knicks in the summer, didn't dress for the Raptors because of a stiff back after being bothered by a thumb injury in the preseason. His only points in the opening victory at home over Boston came on a 3-pointer. ... Quincy Acy, a second-year forward from Baylor, dressed in Novak's place after not suiting up for the opener. ... The Hawks exercised the contract option on guard John Jenkins for next season. The 2012 first-round draft choice from Vanderbilt has been bothered by back issues since the summer. ... Guard Jared Cunningham's option was not picked up by the Hawks, making him a free agent after the season. ... Atlanta, which lost its opener at Dallas on Wednesday night, begins a three-game western trip against the Lakers in Los Angeles on Sunday. The Hawks follow with stops in Sacramento and Denver. ... The Raptors play at Milwaukee on Saturday night.
