27 Nov 2010

Hawks snap NBA losing streak, Celtics beat Raptors

5:49 pm on 27 November 2010

The Atlanta Hawks cruised to a 116-96 win over the Washington Wizards to snap a three-game losing streak in the NBA basketball competition.

The win lifted Atlanta (9-7) to within two games of the Southeast Division-leading Orlando Magic and left the Wizards (5-9) winless on the road this season after seven games.

The Hawks took command of the game midway through the first quarter by outscoring the Wizards 19-4 over a five minute stretch.

They continued to pour it on and led by as many as 27 points with 11 minutes to play.

Joe Johnson led the Hawks with 21 points, Smith scored 20 and all 12 Atlanta players recorded points in a game where the bench players logged significant minutes.

Kevin Garnett powered the Boston Celtics to a 110-101 victory over the Toronto Raptors and held their slim lead atop the NBA's Eastern Conference.

Garnett had a season high 26 points and added 11 rebounds to give the Celtics their third straight win since dropping a game to the Raptors last week.