NBA Game Summary - Atlanta at Toronto
Toronto, ON (SportsNetwork.com) - Amir Johnson's 16-point, 10-rebound double- double helped the Toronto Raptors to a 109-102 win over the Atlanta Hawks in the season opener for both teams.
Jonas Valanciunas paced the Raptors, who look to build off of the second Atlantic Division title in team history, with 17 points to go along with eight boards. DeMar DeRozan scored 15 points with a career-high 11 rebounds in the win.
Kyle Lowry, who signed a four-year extension with Toronto worth $48 million in the offseason, also registered a double-double with 11 points and 10 assists.
Kyle Korver shot a blistering 7-of-10 from the floor -- including 6-of-7 from deep -- to account for 20 points in the setback. Jeff Teague and Mike Scott also scored 20 points for Atlanta, with Teague adding eight assists.
Al Horford, who played in just 29 games for the Hawks last season after suffering a torn pectoral muscle, returned to the court and totaled 12 points and 13 rebounds.
Patrick Patterson hit a 3-pointer to push Toronto in front by a 101-84 score with 4:46 remaining, but the Hawks used a furious rally to make a game of it late.
Teague knocked down a pair of free throws and followed with a layup to begin a 15-2 surge that cut the deficit to four with 1:26 left. Scott's trey capped the run before Lowry corralled a huge offensive rebound off a Patterson miss and calmly hit a pair of free throws to make it 105-99.
A defensive goaltending at the other end cut it back to four with 35.9 seconds on the clock.
DeRozan then missed a pair at the line, but Atlanta didn't box out the shooter and he came swooping in for his 11th rebound. DeRozan made amends on his second chance and converted both shots from the stripe to secure the win.
"I think tonight there are a lot of areas where they were a little bit more physical, a little bit more active than us," Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said. "I think Toronto has a heck of a team. I feel good about our guys fighting back."
In a tightly contested first quarter, Toronto led by as many as six and took a 24-22 lead into the second.
It was a one-point game early in the second when Greivis Vasquez hit back-to- back 3-pointers to jump-start a 14-5 run that gave the hosts a 38-28 advantage.
"It was a good game for us," said Vasquez. "A good first one to get going. It's way too early to determine what type of team we are going to be. We gotta take it (to teams) at home."
Korver then showed his crisp long-range shooting by nailing three treys in just over two minutes to pull the Hawks within four, 45-41, with 4:42 remaining until the half.
Teague's 3-ball minutes later cut the deficit back to one, but Lowry answered with a driving layup at the other end that was part of nine straight points for the Raptors. Teague converted a floater at the buzzer to make it a 60-52 game at the break.
Toronto used a total team effort in the third quarter, as all 10 players who saw action in the game contributed to the scoresheet, helping the Raptors grab an 86-71 lead through 36 minutes.