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Hawks look to spark struggling road offense vs. Raptors

Jan 18, 2008 - 3:09 PM Atlanta (17-18) at Toronto (21-18) 7:00 pm EST

TORONTO (Ticker) - The Atlanta Hawks have not topped 100 points on the road this season. Things don't figure to get much easier against the Toronto Raptors.

The Raptors target their fourth straight home win when they host the Hawks on Friday.

Toronto, winners of four of five, check in as one of the league's best scoring defenses, allowing 95.7 points per game, good for the eighth-best figure in the NBA.

The Raptors forced 20 turnovers and outrebounded the Sacramento Kings, 42-29, in a 116-91 rout on Wednesday. Chris Bosh, who was held to just 16 points in a loss to the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday, scored 31 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the win.

Bosh has eclipsed the 30-point mark in three of his last four games and is averaging 29.2 points over his last five contests, a stretch in which the Raptors have gone 4-1.

Atlanta, which is just 5-10 on the road this season, once again suffered from a lackluster offense away from home in a 87-80 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday. Marvin Williams scored 22 points in the loss, the team's fourth straight road setback.

Amazingly, the Hawks rank in the top half of the league in points per game at home with 99, but average a league-worst 88.5 points away from Philips Arena this season.