The Toronto Raptors (50 - 24) reached 50 wins for the first time in franchise history on Wednesday after defeating the Atlanta Hawks (45 - 31) 105 - 97. Toronto has emerged as a contender this season, rivaling LeBron and the Cavaliers for the top spot in the East for the bulk of the season. The Raps sit just two games back from the first seed with eight games remaining until the playoffs. Toronto once again proved successful against one of the East's hottest teams, comfortably defeating the surging Hawks. Limiting Atlanta's ball movement was a focal point, as the stingy Toronto defense was able to force 18 Atlanta turnovers. Per usual, the Toronto offense was carried by the stellar backcourt of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, both of whom had impressive nights. DeRozan had a game - high 26 points, while Lowry scored 17 and also dished out 11 assists. Atlanta, meanwhile, has sought to separate itself from the middle of the Eastern Conference and hold on to the three seed heading into the playoffs. Wednesday's performance did the team no favors, however, as the starting five simply struggled to find their mojo offensively. Only Jeff Teague scored in double digits for the unit, and the team as a whole had a turnover issue, coughing the ball up seven more times than Toronto on the night. With six games remaining, last year's first seed will hope to retain homecourt advantage for the playoffs. Toronto will take on The Grizzlies on Friday, while Atlanta will have a long break before taking the floor on Tuesday against the Suns.
["TeamStat(G,'Raptors') has 24 Losses ,has 105 Total points ,has 50 Turnovers ."
 "TeamStat(G,'Hawks') has 31 Losses ,has 97 Total points ,has 18 Turnovers ,has 45 Wins ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'DeMar DeRozan') has 26 Assists ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Kyle Lowry') has 11 Assists ,has 17 Points ."]