Raptors demolish Hawks for 4th-straight win

The Toronto Raptors made an emphatic statement on Friday, dismantling the Atlanta Hawks by a score of 105-80.

Leading the way was shooting guard Lou Williams, who torched the Hawks with a blistering 3-point shooting display en route to a game-high 26 points. Williams landed in Toronto this offseason by way of Atlanta via a salary-dump deal.

The Raptors managed to pull away after halftime. Toronto carried a four-point edge after two quarters, but managed to shut down the Hawks' lethal 3-point attack which emptied the foundation of Atlanta's attack. The Hawks scored just 13 points in the third, shooting a season-worst 3-of-19 as the Raptors pulled away with a 19-point edge heading into the final frame.

As much as Toronto's defense is to be accredited, the Hawks had an uncharacteristically poor outing from deep. The Hawks shot just 8-of-38 on 3-pointers, including a putrid 2-for-11 from Kyle Korver, who leads the league in 3-point percentage. Without the long bomb, the Hawks were held to their second-lowest scoring output of the season.

Raptors shooting guard DeMar DeRozan also had a huge hand in the win. He paced the Raptors early on with a flurry of tough jumpers, before Williams took over in the second and third quarters.

DeRozan finished with 21 points on 9-of-16 shooting, while grabbing eight rebounds and three steals. DeRozan's outing also included a pair of dunks, which is a positive sign for Raptors fans, as the explosive swingman has been largely groundbound since returning from a groin injury.

The win represents the Raptors' fourth-consecutive victory, and they have reeled off wins against the Los Angeles Clippers, San Antonio Spurs, Washington Wizards and now the Hawks, by a combined 48 points.

The victory moves Toronto to 37-17 on the season, 5.5 games back of the conference-leading Hawks. The Raptors, however, take the season series 3-1 over Atlanta.