The Atlanta Hawks showcased nine players in double-digits, collectively netting 42 second quarter points en route to claiming victory over the Toronto Raptors 146-115 Wednesday night at Philips Arena. Al Horford led the Hawks in scoring with 24 points, followed by Josh Smith and Jamal Crawford collecting 16 apiece. Joe Johnson produced 12 points while dishing out 11 assists.

“I think it had something to do with their back-to-back games,” said Crawford. “We jumped out early and didn’t look back the whole game.” Atlanta shot 60.5 percent from the floor in the first half, racking up 75 points before heading into the locker room.

The 7-13 Raptors have now lost five straight on the road. Chris Bosh (averages 25 points per game) when asked what went wrong chose to criticize his team on the defensive end, instead of re-assessing his own dismal two-point performance in 16 minutes played. “We didn’t magically appear last on the charts defensively,” said Bosh. “The team’s defensive effort hasn’t been there for a while. I mean, tonight was just a total embarrassment.” The Raptors will have a chance to redeem themselves on Friday against the Washington Wizards as the Hawks move on to face the New York Knicks.

Tags: Atlanta Events, Atlanta Hawks, NBA Basketball, Philips Arena, Sports, toronto raptors