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Johnson leads Hawks over Raptors

Feb 1, 2012 - 4:19 AM Toronto, ON (Sports Network) - Joe Johnson tied a season-high with 30 points and the Atlanta Hawks won four games in a five-game road trip for the first time since 1968, defeating the Toronto Raptors, 100-77, on Tuesday.

"Joe is the head of the snake with us and our guys understand their roles as far as what their jobs and responsibilities are, they have the open shots, they take their shots," Hawks head coach Larry Drew said about his team's offensive outburst.

Atlanta had five scorers in double figures, getting 15 points from Tracy McGrady off the bench and 10 points each from Marvin Williams, Zaza Pachulia, and Jeff Teague.

The Hawks have won three in a row and five of their last six at Air Canada Centre.

Jerryd Bayless scored 14 points and Ed Davis recorded a double-double with 11 points and 11 boards for Toronto, which has dropped two of its last three games and six straight against the Hawks.

Back-to-back three-pointers from Bayless tied the game at 14-14 with 5:41 to go in the first.

Johnson got off to a quick start, capping his 12-point first quarter with a trey as the Hawks took a 23-18 lead entering the second quarter.

Williams' offensive rebound and put-back layup extended the Hawks' lead to 44-33 at the tail end of the second quarter.

The game took a turn just before half as Johnson scored eight straight points and Atlanta extended its advantage to 56-37 going into halftime.

Johnson finished the half with 24 points on 10-of-12 shooting from the field as the Hawks were able to take control of the game.

"We came out with a competitive spirit, but I didn't think we sustained it long enough," Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. "I was disappointed in not sustaining the competitive spirit, especially in the second quarter when the game got out of hand."

The two teams exchanged buckets in the third as the Raptors cut into the lead slightly, trailing 77-60 entering the final frame.

The fourth quarter saw both teams empty their benches as Atlanta's lead ballooned as high as 26, allowing it to win the game going away.

Game Notes

Hawks are now 11-1 when Joe Johnson scores 20 or more points...Hawks shot 51 percent for the game, which makes them 11-0 when shooting better than 45 percent...Toronto's Andrea Bargnani missed his third straight game with a left calf strain...Toronto's next game is at Boston on Wednesday, while Atlanta hosts Memphis on Thursday...Toronto set a franchise record for most games in a calendar month with 19.