TORONTO -- Embarrassed by the Toronto Raptors 13 days ago, the Atlanta Hawks made up for that poor performance in the rematch.Dwight Howard had 27 points and 15 rebounds for his 17th double-double of the season to lead the Hawks to a 125-121 victory over the Raptors on Friday night.Toronto had a franchise-record 44-point victory over its Eastern Conference rival on Dec. 3. In this one, Atlanta responded with a season-high scoring effort and shot a season-best 53.5 percent from the field.I thought our energy was better tonight, Howard said. We locked in on defense and we forced some of their guys to take tough shots. I thought last game they just got any shot they wanted.The Raptors made the game close down the stretch with 39 points in the fourth quarter, closing to within three on DeMar DeRozans layup with 10.6 seconds left. However, Dennis Schroder converted a free throw with 6.7 seconds to re-establish a four-point Atlanta edge, and Kyle Lowrys miss on a 3 with 1.9 seconds left ended Torontos comeback effort.Despite the frantic finish, overall Atlanta coach Mike Budenholzer was pleased with his teams defensive effort.The first half I thought the defense was very good, theres maybe some slippage in the second but anytime you can come in here and get a win, you are doing something on both ends of the court, he said.Kyle Korver did his best to help on the offensive end with a season-high 19 points, including a season-high six 3-pointers, while Schroder added 24 points.For the Raptors, DeRozan had 34 points, his third straight 30-point outing and 14th of the season to tie a career high, with Lowry adding another 24, including a season-high-equaling six 3-pointers, as Toronto saw its four-game winning streak come to an end. The defeat to Atlanta was Torontos fourth against an Eastern Conference club, but its first to someone other than Cleveland.After allowing an opponent season-high 69 points in the first half, and getting outrebounded 44-26, Toronto coach Dwane Casey was less than impressed with his teams defensive effort. Thats something he has preached even as his team has scored 100 points in 13 consecutive games, the second longest streak in team history and the longest active one in the NBA.We scored enough points, 121 points, shooting 54 percent, 47 percent from the 3, Casey said. It doesnt take a rocket scientist to figure out where our problem is.While Lowry agreed with his coachs assessment, he was also happy to give credit to Atlanta, particularly given the 128-84 score the last time the two teams met.They played aggressive and they played like they wanted to win, he said. Tip our hats to them, its one game for us and they beat us fair and square. We will look at the film; they beat us tonight, they really beat us.TIP-INSHawks: G Tim Hardaway remained in the starting lineup for the third straight game even as usual starter G Kent Bazemore returned after missing the last two games with right knee soreness.Raptors: C Lucas Nogueira returned to the starting lineup after missing Wednesdays game with a sore right knee. ... The crowd at Air Canada Centre observed a moments silence in memory of late TNT sideline reporter Craig Sager. ... In defeat, the Raptors scored at least 120 points for the eighth time this season, one shy of the franchise record of nine, set in the 2014-15 and 2005-06 seasons.SWEET 16With his second of two free throws with 1:15 to go in the first half, Howard became the NBAs newest member of the 16,000-point club. The shot gave him a first-half high 18 points.UP NEXTHawks: Host Charlotte on Saturday with Atlanta looking for a fifth straight home win against the Hornets.Raptors: At Orlando on Sunday for the first of four meetings between the teams this season.Kyle Schwarber Cubs Jersey . Pirlo limped out of Sundays 1-0 win over Udinese after just 13 minutes. Juventus says Pirlo underwent tests on Monday which revealed he has "a second-degree lesion to the collateral medial ligament in his right knee. Ben Zobrist Jersey . -- Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson asked his players a simple question during Fridays morning shootaround: How many of them had ever been on a team 14 games over . http://www.thecubsteamshop.com/Cubs-Brandon-Morrow-Kids-Jersey/ . Peter Holland and Brad Staubitz were sent to Toronto on Saturday as the Maple Leafs traded defenceman Jesse Blacker and draft picks to the Anaheim Ducks. Ian Happ Jersey . Only three players drafted by NHL clubs were included on the Czech selection camp roster on Wednesday. Those players were Dallas Stars 2012 first-rounder Radek Faksa, Winnipeg Jets 2013 fourth-rounder Jan Kostalek and Phoenix Coyotes 2012 seventh-rounder Marek Langhamer. Jon Lester Jersey . The Olympic champion curler and TSN curling analyst immediately went online to look at the Halls long list of honoured members. Thats when the enormity of the honour sunk in.BUDAPEST, Hungary -- An airplane carrying Turkish soccer club Fenerbahce to England made an emergency landing in Hungary after a bird strike cracked the windshield on Wednesday.The BoraJet airplane carrying players and team officials, including club president Aziz Yildirim, took off from Istanbul at 11 a.m. (0800 GMT). It landed at Budapests Ferenc Liszt Airport, the nearest airport, after the security system indicated a flaw iin the hermetic seal.ddddddddddddnother BoraJet flight from Istanbul was expected to land in Budapest at 4:45 p.m. (1445 GMT) to take the team to its Europa League match against Manchester United on Thursday.The team posted photos of the cracked, but still intact, left windshield on its Twitter feed. ' ' '