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Joe Johnson continues to insist he's no one-man show. For the first time in five games, his supporting cast didn't fold.
"We kept our composure," Johnson said. "We're a young team. We learn from our mistakes. Tonight we were in the same position we were the last four games, but we definitely buckled down in the fourth quarter."
Johnson scored 27 points and Tyronn Lue hit an 18-foot fadeaway with 30 seconds remaining, helping the Atlanta Hawks snap a four-game losing streak with a 97-93 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Friday night.
T.J. Ford scored 25 to lead Toronto, but the second-year guard fouled out after missing a layup with 17 seconds remaining.
"I felt the team needed something, so I tried to be aggressive and knock down the shots I was taking," Ford said. "I try to get in the lane and put pressure on them, get fouled and make the shot. That is just part of playing basketball. When your team is down, you try to dig deep and try and take your game to the next level."
The Raptors lost for the seventh time in eight games, due in part to Atlanta's double-teaming of leading scorer Chris Bosh, who hit just two of nine shots from the field. Bosh entered with a 22-point average, but he finished with 11.
"They doubled me a lot, and it made it tough for me to score," Bosh said. "I tried to make the right plays. I didn't want to force too many shots and get their fast-break going. Next time, I have to work on getting a deeper post position and making quicker moves."
Zaza Pachulia scored 18 points and Lue 16 for the Hawks.
Ford cut the lead to 93-90 by hitting a 4-foot runner high off the glass, but after the teams missed their ensuing possessions, Lue scored with the shot clock at 2.
Less than 4 seconds after Lue's final basket, Ford hit a 27-foot straightaway to make it 95-93.
"He hit a heck of a 3," Hawks coach Mike Woodson said. "The ball just kind of died on the rim and it went in."
Toronto, which had won three straight at Philips Arena, went on a 25-7 run to take a 48-39 lead on Joey Graham's putback late in the second quarter.
Atlanta regained the lead at 51-49 on Shelden Williams' 18-footer early in the third quarter. Johnson's 3-pointer from the right wing with 3:38 remaining put the Hawks ahead for good, 64-61.
"We've been playing good basketball," Woodson said. "I told them, 'There's no pressure on anybody. You've just continue to do the things we've been doing from day one in camp. Teams are not beating us. We're beating ourselves by not getting key stops and key rebounds when we need to.' "
Josh Smith had a spectacular block as Bosh attempted to dunk late in the third quarter. Running behind the Toronto forward, Smith knocked away the ball and ran the length of the court before taking Lue's pass and dunking for a 70-63 lead.
"The last two games I haven't been playing to my ability," Smith said. "I've been watching film with coach. I got a lot of criticism but that's fine. I responded today by playing hard. It's not all about scoring points, it's just about the little stuff like blocked shots and steals and assists."
Johnson believes Smith, who turns 21 next week, is starting to show some maturity.
"We're a lot better team when Josh is flying around blocking shots, rebounding, attacking," Johnson said. "He put us over that hump. He has to know that we need that night in and night out."
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