Toronto gets burned in Atlanta!

November 8, 2008

by Sean Stancill… Joe Johnson had 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists as the undefeated (4-0) Atlanta Hawks defeated the Toronto Raptors 110-92.

Besides Johnson, Mike Bibby 19 points and 12 assists for his first double-double of the season for the Hawks and starting forward Josh Smith scored 6 points but left the game after playing only 11 minutes with an injury to his right foot.

Chris Bosh had 26 points and 8 rebounds and Jermaine O’Neal scored 17 points and blocked 3 shots. In a one sided effort, Jose Calderon managed to dish out 12 assists for the 3-2 Raptors.

The Hawks jumped out to an early 17-8 lead and never hesitated after that.

Joe Johnson scored 11 of his 17 points in the first half as Atlanta widened their lead to 12 at halftime 62-50, after only leading by 5 after the opening quarter.

The Hawks can attribute their win to 60% shooting from downtown, with Mike Bibby taking the lot of them. Bibby shot 5-of-7 from long distance with 4 of them coming in the game-changing 2nd quarter.

Toronto lost, but they perhaps got their best performance from newly acquired forward/center Jermaine O’neal. The former Indiana Pacers’ prodigy also registered 17 in his Raptors’ debu

Ravaged: Bosh Blasts Warriors In 112-108 OT Win

November 1, 2008

http://a123.g.akamai.net/f/123/12465/1d/www.nationalpost.com/sports/924384.bin?size=404x272by Sean Stancill… Chris Bosh had 31 points (12-24 FG, 7-10 FT) 9 rebounds, and a blocked shot to lead the Raptors to a 112-108 overtime win over the Golden State Warriors.
Newly promoted point guard Jose Calderon had 16 points while doling out 13 assists and swingman Anthony Parker contributed 23 points and 4 steals while nailing three of five thee pointers. Jermaine O’Neal was visibly frustrated in his 2nd game with the Raptors earning a technical foul in the 3rd quarter. O’Neal finished with 5 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 blocks.
Andre Bargnani also chipped in and converted swishing timely shots and scored 19 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 blocks.
Emotional leader Stephen Jackson fouled out in the closing minutes of the overtime while griping about his team’s shooting effort. Jackson moped to the bench and was consoled by Ronny Turiaf who matched a career high 5 blocks before fouling out late in the 4th quarter.
Displeased power forward Al Harrington had 26 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 assists and Andris Biedrins had 17 points and 13 rebounds at center for Don Nelson’s team. Corey Magette scored 4 points on 4-15 shooting failing to rescue the Warriors from the persistent Raptors.
Chris Bosh bombarded Golden State with a balanced diet of perimeter jumpers and an array of up-fakes. Bosh produced 22 of his 31 points in the 2nd half and overtime including a driving dunk and four free throws that forced overtime.
The Warriors misfired on their first 7 field goal attempts in the extra period– six of them jump-shots and only managed to score 12 points in the overtime period after pouring out 23 in the 4th.
Toronto meanwhile capitalized and went on a 10-2 run in the opening 2:40 to cement their 2nd victory of the season and their lead atop the NBA Atlantic