Hawks Soar Past Raptors
Posted November 7, 2008 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Mike Bibby scored all of his 19 points in the first half, making four three-pointers during an 18-4 run that broke open the game, and the unbeaten Atlanta Hawks routed the Toronto Raptors 110-92 on Friday night.
Bibby added 12 assists for Atlanta (4-0). The Hawks are off to their best start since 1997, when they won their first 11 games.
Chris Bosh led Toronto (3-2) with 26 points. Jose Calderon, the Raptors’ second-leading scorer, had only six points on 2-of-10 shooting, but finished with 12 assists.
Bibby was 7-for-9 from the field in the first half, hitting five of seven three-pointers. He went 0-for-3 after the break.
Atlanta’s Josh Smith injured his left ankle with 56 seconds left in the first period and did not return.
Atlanta was leading 44-39 when Bibby went on his tear, sparking the big run with his four threes. The Hawks’ biggest advantage was 27 points at 110-83 with 1:48 left.
Atlanta, in playing its best game of the season, looked similar to the team that pushed the Boston Celtics to seven games in the first round of last season’s playoffs. The Hawks hadn’t been in the post-season since 1998-99 before that run.
Joe Johnson added 17 points and Flip Murray had 16 for Atlanta. Maurice Evans scored 15 and Marvin Williams 14. The points were season highs for Bibby, Murray, Evans and Williams.
Atlanta got a boost from seldom-used Solomon Jones, who got to play 25 minutes when Smith was hurt and Al Horford got into early foul trouble. Jones scored six points and led the team with nine rebounds.
