Losers of six straight and 14 of their first 15 games of the 2004-05 campaign, Toronto defeated the Atlanta Hawks 102-101 Friday in the first contest of a three-game road trip.
With the score tied 98-98, rookie forward Charlie Villanueva took a pass from Jose Calderon and scored on a layup with 2.5 seconds left in regulation to give Toronto a two-point lead.
A careless turnover on the next possession by Atlanta forced the Hawks to commit a foul, sending Toronto's Morris Peterson to the line as he drained two free throws to give the Raptors a 102-98 advantage. Atlanta scored a three-pointer at the buzzer to end the game.
Charlie Villanueva scored 22 points and added 10 rebounds for Toronto on Friday in Atlanta. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/NBAE via Getty Images)
"This was a game we had to win," Villanueva said. "They were struggling. We were struggling. We hadn't won on the road yet, and this was our best chance."
Toronto's only other win came Nov. 20 at home versus the Miami Heat.
Chris Bosh led the Raptors with 23 points and nine rebounds. Villanueva scored 22 points and added 10 rebounds. Peterson and Jalen Rose each chipped in with 15 points.
With the loss, Atlanta drops to 2-13.
Atlanta's Joe Johnson scored a game-high 34 points while teammate Al Harrington added 24 points.
The Raptors led most of the game, but it was the play of Villanueva in the final minutes that sealed the win for Toronto.
After Harrington's missed jumper with 17.8 seconds left, Villanueva pulled down the rebound and the Raptors called a time out with the game tied at 98-98.
Coming out of the time out, Villanueva set a pick for Calderon, who then dished the ball to the rookie as he streaked down the lane unguarded. Villanueva easily made the layup and the Hawks called a time out.
"I went to set the screen and two guys were on Jose," Villanueva said. "I was wide open. I was a little surprised. I'm glad to get it."
Inbounding the ball on the offensive end of the court, Johnson came off a baseline screen, received the pass and then stepped on the out-of-bounds line on the sideline to give the ball back to Toronto.
Peterson was immediately fouled and made both of his shots from the free-throw line to make it a four-point game. Following an Atlanta time out, Salim Stoudamire drained a three-pointer as time expired.
"The ref said it was, so I guess it was," Johnson said of the official's call.
"We're a lot better than that team, especially at home. We got down too early. Defensively, we didn't have enough down the stretch."
Toronto took a 20-13 lead with just over four minutes remaining in the first quarter, but Atlanta rallied to draw within 45-42 on a Harrington bucket with 2 1/2 minutes left in the half.
Toronto closed the half by scoring nine of the final 12 points to take a 54-45 advantage into the break.
Five minutes into the third quarter, Josh Smith capped a 14-5 surge that allowed the Hawks to tie the game at 59-59. However, with the game tied at 61-61, Toronto went on a 12-2 run to extend its lead to 73-63 with 90 seconds remaining in the quarter.
The Raptors will visit New Jersey on Saturday and Washington next Tuesday before returning home Wednesday for a date with the Los Angeles Lakers.
with files from Sports Network and Associated Press
