Lowry leads Raptors past Hawks for eighth straight win

TORONTO (AP) — Kyle Lowry had 12 points and 11 assists while becoming Toronto’s career assist leader and the Raptors beat the Atlanta Hawks 130-114 Tuesday night for their season-best eighth straight win.

Serge Ibaka had 24 points and 10 rebounds, Pascal Siakam added 24 points and Fred VanVleet had 19 as the Raptors won their 10th in a row over Atlanta. Toronto never trailed and led by as many as 28.

Toronto center Marc Gasol scored 10 points but was unable to return after leaving early in the third because of a sore left hamstring. Gasol missed 12 games because of a strained left hamstring between Dec. 18 and Jan. 12.

With his ninth assist, a long outlet pass to Terence Davis in the fourth, Lowry moved past Jose Calderon (3,770) on the team’s career list.

Lowry and former Raptors star Vince Carter embraced near half court after the record was announced late in the game.

Lowry finished with eight rebounds, narrowly missing his second triple-double of the season.

John Collins had 28 points and 12 rebounds, and Trae Young had 18 points and 13 assists for the Hawks.

Cam Reddish also scored 18 points, De’Andre Hunter had 15 and Carter added 10 as Atlanta lost for the fourth time in six games.

Young missed all three of his field goal attempts in the first quarter and didn’t score. Gasol scored all of his points in the opening quarter and Siakam added eight as the Raptors led 33-23 after one.

After a fourth missed shot, Young connected from 3-point range with 7:27 left in the second, his first points of the game. Ibaka scored 12 points in the second and Davis had 11 for the Raptors, who led 68-56 at halftime. Davis finished the game with 15.

Young scored 12 points in the third but VanVleet scored 13 points and Siakam added 12 to put Toronto up 97-83 heading to the fourth.

Playing at home for the first time since Kobe Bryant’s death Sunday, the Raptors honored the late star with a pregame video tribute. Fans rose for an impromptu standing ovation and yelled ‘Kobe, Kobe!’ following the video before the scoreboard counted down 24 seconds of silence.

TIP-INS

Hawks: F Bruno Fernando (left calf) was inactive, C Alex Len sat for the second straight game because of a right hip flexor strain, and G DeAndre Bembry missed his fourth straight game, the past three of which have been because of inflammation in his right hand. … Toronto honored Carter with a video tribute between the first and second quarters. … Young shot 1 for 7 from 3-point range.

Raptors: Toronto didn’t turn the ball over in the second and had just two turnovers in the first half. … F Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (sprained right ankle) was inactive. Hollis-Jefferson left Sunday’s win at San Antonio in the second quarter and did not return. … F Patrick McCaw (broken nose) missed his third straight game. … The Raptors outscored the Hawks 61-26 in bench points.

When the Hawks reached 81 points late in the third, the digits were displayed in purple on the scoreboard in tribute to Bryant, who scored a career-high 81 against Toronto on Jan. 22, 2006.

The plan was to highlight the numbers 8, 24 and 81, but neither team hit on any of them until the Hawks got to 81 on Young’s layup.

UP NEXT

Hawks: Host Philadelphia on Thursday night.

Raptors: Visit Cleveland on Thursday night.