For the third straight game, the Atlanta Hawks rallied at home from a double-digit deficit to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
After trailing by ten points at halftime, the Hawks rallied behind Al Horford to take an 93-92 victory over the Toronto Raptors at Philips Arena. Horford finished with 22 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, and a key block and rebound in the final thirty seconds to clinch the victory.
Josh Smith also had a double-double, with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Kyle Korver had 17 points and hit five three-pointers on the night.
Horford had an exciting final minute to cap off his night. He sank two free throws with 58 seconds left to bring Atlanta within one. He made a dunk with 21 seconds left to give the Hawks their final margin of victory. On the final sequence, he blocked a Kyle Lowry shot with 12 seconds to go, blocked a shot by DeMar DeRozan with two seconds left, and recovered the ball and threw it upcourt to run out the clock.
The Hawks were shorthanded tonight, as Zaza Pachulia was out with a knee injury. It showed in the box score, as the Hawks were out-rebounded 52-36 tonight. The Raptors were also shorthanded, due to making a trade earlier today for Rudy Gay and shipping out Jose Calderon and Ed Davis in a three-team deal.
Coach Drew lamented the "unforced errors" that led to many of Atlanta's 17 turnovers.
"I would like to come in at halftime and not say some of those things again...it's my job to get these guys to respond, and they did in the third quarter. We didn't play with a sense of urgency defensively (in the first quarter). We were slow and lethargic."
The Hawks will face Chicago at Philips Arena on Saturday night. Odds are, if they fall behind by 10 again, a team like the Bulls will not let them back into the game.
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