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Hawks go for five in a row vs. Raptors

Apr 2, 2008 - 2:03 PM Toronto (38-36) at Atlanta (34-40) 7:00 pm EDT

ATLANTA (Ticker) - The Atlanta Hawks will be looking to match their longest winning streak of the season and inch closer to clinching their first playoff berth in nine seasons when they host the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday.

The Hawks have won eight of their last 10 games to open up a three-game lead over the Indiana Pacers (31-43) for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

A victory on Wednesday would match the franchise's highest win total since the 1997-98 campaign.

Atlanta won in dominating fashion, pushing the lead to over 30 points in the third quarter before taking a 116-99 decision from the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday. Josh Smith led the way with 26 points and eight rebounds.

The Raptors are locked in a battle with the Washington Wizards (38-36) and the Philadelphia 76ers (38-37) for the Nos. 5, 6 and 7 seeds in the East. The club will need to finish in fifth or sixth if it hopes to avoid the Detroit Pistons or the Boston Celtics in the first round.

Toronto appears to have recovered from a terrible beginning to March, in which they lost 11 of 14 games. All-Star Chris Bosh missed 10 of those games with a knee injury, but has returned to lead the Raptors to wins in three of their last four.

Bosh scored 32 points on Monday to lead the team to a 104-100 win over the Charlotte Bobcats.

Toronto has won both meetings between the teams this season, including an 89-78 victory on January 18 in which Bosh finished with 35 points.