ATLANTA — Jamal Crawford scored 15 of his 25 points when Atlanta took the lead in the second period, and the Hawks beat the Toronto Raptors 107-101 on Friday night to reach 50 wins for the first time in 12 years.
The Hawks were sluggish in the opening minutes, matching their season low for points in a first quarter when they trailed 25-14. They rebounded to score a season-high 45 points in the second quarter for a 59-47 halftime lead.
The Hawks (50-29), who began the night tied with Boston in the race for the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference, led by 20 in the fourth period before holding off the Raptors in the final minute. They reached 50 wins for the first time since the 1997-98 season.
Joe Johnson had 18 points in his return after missing three games with a sprained right thumb. Josh Smith added 17 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks for the Hawks, while Al Horford had 12 points and 15 rebounds.
Amir Johnson had 18 points and 13 rebounds for Toronto, which began the night tied with Chicago for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Sonny Weems had 18 points, and Jose Calderon had 10 points and 10 assists.
Toronto backup guard Antoine Wright was helped off the floor after spraining his left ankle with 10 seconds remaining in the third period. Wright missed a 3-pointer and, after taking the jump shot, his left foot landed on Atlanta guard Mario West's foot. Wright did not return.
Toronto's Hedo Turkoglu wore a protective facial mask after bumping heads with Boston's Tony Allen and leaving Wednesday night's game. The Raptors already have lost top scorer and rebounder Chris Bosh for the remainder of the regular season with a facial fracture.
Following a 42-42 tie in the second period, the Hawks pulled away with a 24-5 run that was capped by Mike Bibby scoring the first five points of the second half for a 64-47 lead.
Crawford hit four 3-pointers in the second period.
Notes
Toronto coach Jay Triano took the high road when asked about the Cavaliers resting LeBron James for Thursday night's game against the Bulls. "They don't owe us anything," Triano said. The Bulls and Raptors are in a tight race for the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. … The Hawks have won 11 straight home games.