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Friday, Apr. 7 7:30pm ET
Raptors cut magic number to three | |||||
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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
ATLANTA (AP) -- Vince Carter wants the Toronto Raptors to wrap up a playoff spot so he can store up some energy. They took a step in that direction Friday night by ending a four-game losing streak in a 104-84 victory over the Atlanta Hawks. "We had guys playing on separate pages," said Carter, whose team had lost eight of its previous nine. "That's why our (team) meeting helped. Tonight we had players on the same page." The Raptors, who got 21 points from Tracy McGrady, now need any combination of three wins or three Milwaukee losses to secure the first playoff appearance in the franchise's five-year history. They moved within a game of Charlotte, a 97-82 loser to Detroit, for fifth place in the Eastern Conference standings. "Like I said, we got our confidence -- I think," Carter said. "That's speaking from one game, and that's hard to do. But I like our chances right now. It was a much-needed win, and I think the guys responded tonight." Carter, who had a game-high nine assists, lit up a sold-out Philips Arena with three spectacular dunks, but only one counted -- a jam midway through the first quarter. The feed from McGrady hit the backboard before Carter slammed it through. McGrady, who scored a career-high 28 in Tuesday's home loss to Detroit, soared to his left for a hard dunk that put Toronto up 78-64 with 1:12 left in the third quarter. "We played with a lot more intensity than we did in previous games," McGrady said. "We just came out and showed a lot of heart. We were down at halftime but we came out the second half and got a lot of defensive stops, which we weren't doing." Alan Henderson's 24 points led the Hawks, who lost their fifth straight. Atlanta has dropped 19 of its last 23 games. The Hawks, who had 15 rebounds and 11 points from Dikembe Mutombo, led by six midway through the second quarter on a 12-foot jumper by Cal Bowdler and were up by two at halftime. "I bet you never dreamed it would be like this -- I certainly didn't," said Atlanta coach Lenny Wilkens, whose club dropped to 0-15 when the opponent shoots 50 percent or better. "You have to laugh to keep from crying. "We played pretty good in the first half, not great. You have to talk on the defense. You have to follow the game plan." Charles Oakley's 19-foot jumper put the Raptors up 59-58 with 7:19 to go in the third quarter, and they led the rest of the way. The Raptors took their biggest lead at 102-79 on Dell Curry's 3-pointer with 1:42 remaining. "The effort was better than it was before, and we were able to sustain some things by making them miss shots," Toronto coach Butch Carter said. "We look and we see their field goal percentage is 40. That's just so important to having a chance to win a game." Game notesDoug Christie, a late scratch due to a bruised right ankle, was replaced by Muggsy Bogues. Christie, Toronto's all-time leading scorer, has started in each of the 70 games he's appeared. In making his first start with the Raptors, Bogues finished with 13 points and four assists in 34 minutes. ... Toronto, the NBA's fifth-best draw, contributed largely to the Hawks' having their fourth sellout. ... Hawks backup center Lorenzen Wright missed his third straight game with a strained right calf. | ALSO SEE NBA Scoreboard Toronto Clubhouse Atlanta Clubhouse RECAPS Philadelphia 102 Boston 97
Toronto 104
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