ATLANTA -- Mike Budenholzer coached hard right to the end, arguing with the officials over a kicked ball even with the game in hand. Abdel Nader Thunder Jersey . Finally, the horn sounded. That first victory as an NBA head coach was his. Al Horford had 22 points and 16 rebounds, three other Atlanta starters scored in double figures and the Hawks won their home opener, defeating the Toronto Raptors 102-95 on Friday to give Budenholzer a night to remember. "Its a good feeling," he said. "But I mostly feel good for our group because of how hard theyve worked for the entire coaching staff. Just the energy, the effort, the focus and intensity they bring every day, thats gives me a good feeling. To go out and get the win, thats icing on the cake." The Hawks built an 18-point lead late in the third quarter, then held off a Raptors comeback in the final period. Jeff Teague and Kyle Korver had 17 points apiece, while Paul Millsap added 15. "They made me really sweat there at the end," quipped Budenholzer, a long-time assistant in San Antonio. When the Hawks finally finished it off, the rookie coach gave a quick wave to Raptors counterpart Dwane Casey, hugged Elton Brand and headed to the locker room with a big smile. The Raptors lost despite 31 points from DeMar DeRozan, including 23 over the final two quarters. "DeMar came in the second half and did a great job," Casey said. The Hawks stemmed the rally with a crucial sequence. Horford scored on a running hook in the lane, Torontos Amir Johnson missed an easy putback, and the home team took off running. Teague found Millsap all alone under the basket, and he held up long enough to lay it in and draw a foul. Even though Millsap missed the free throw, Atlanta led 93-84 with 3:22 remaining. The Raptors never got any closer than six points the rest of the way. Atlanta has undergone a massive makeover during the last two summers, leaving Horford and Teague as the only players who have been with the team more than two seasons. This year, the Hawks added a new coach as well. Seven of the 12 players who suited up Friday were making their home debuts in an Atlanta uniform, prompting one season-ticket holder sitting behind press row to remark, "I dont know who half these guys are." But the fans liked what they he saw, especially in the second half as the Hawks built a 70-52 lead. DeRozan hit 14 of 23 from the field, nearly bringing the Raptors all the way back. Kyle Lowry scored 16 points, Rudy Gay 14 and Johnson 13. Horford carried the Hawks at both ends of the court and Teague ran the offence just the way Budenholzer wants, dishing out 12 assists and committing only one turnover. Budenholzer was especially impressed with Horford, who is now the face of the franchise after all that turnover. The centre is still getting used to the new motion offence and had just 11 points in a 118-109 loss at Dallas to open the season. Horford looked a lot more comfortable against the Raptors. "He put us on his shoulders," Budenholzer said. "He scored a lot of different ways. He was really decisive in making his decisions and making his moves." The Raptors were coming off a 93-87 victory over Boston in their home opener. Toronto fell short in the bid for its first 2-0 start since 2008. After letting the Mavericks run wild, Atlanta limited the Raptors to just eight fast-break points. Neither team led by more than four points until the Hawks suddenly broke off a quick spurt in the final minute of the first half. Cartier Martin knocked down a 3-pointer, Pero Antic also connected from beyond the arc and Teague finished it off with a thunderous dunk as the clock wound down, sending Atlanta to the locker room with a 49-39 lead. "That 2-minute stretch at the end of the first half killed us," Lowry said. NOTES: Korver extended his 3-point streak to 75 regular-season games, finishing 5 of 8 from beyond the arc to keep up the longest active run in the league. ... Raptors F Steve Novak woke up with a sore back and did not dress. ... The announced attendance was 18,118, supposedly a sellout, though there were thousands of empty seats in Philips Arena. Ray Allen Jersey . Louis Cardinals on Sunday afternoon; a brief, poor outing that served to highlight two trends that have developed this season. Gary Payton Thunder Jersey . -- Phil Mickelson came to the St. https://www.thunderrookiesshop.com/Patrick-Patterson-City-Edition-Jersey/ . Off-Season Game Plan looks at a Wild team that has a nice mix of proven veterans along with young, inexpensive talent on the rise. When the Wild signed Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, making a big splash in the summer of 2012, it set the franchise on a path to being more competitive, but a big reason that they have been so competitive is the contributions of young players who still have more to give.The New York Rangers hope to ride their home dominance of the Philadelphia Flyers to a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals when the teams get together for Game 2 on Sunday afternoon. Catch the game on TSN starting at Noon et/9am pt. The Rangers posted a 4-1 win in the opener of the best-of-seven series Thursday at Madison Square Garden, giving New York nine straight wins against Philadelphia at home. The clubs last loss in this series at MSG was back on Feb. 20, 2011. The Flyers hope to break their slump in Manhattan on Sunday before the series heads to Philadelphia for Games 3 and 4. The Rangers were 0-2 in Philly this season and have lost in their past three trips to the City of Brotherly Love. New York controlled play for most of Game 1, but the score was tied 1-1 heading into the third period. The Rangers, however, seized a golden opportunity when Philadelphias Jason Akeson drew blood on a high stick against Carl Hagelin, resulting in a four-minute power play for the home team at 7:35 of the final period. The Blueshirts scored twice off Akesons double minor, with Brad Richards scoring at 8:22 and Derek Stepan converting just 47 second later. Richards posted a goal and two assists while Hagelin, Stepan and Mats Zuccarello all lit the lamp for New York, which also got two assists from late-season addition Martin St. Louis. Henrik Lundqvist, meanwhile, only needed to stop 14 shots to pick up the win. "I think we controlled play, didnt give them much," said Richards. "There was no other thought than to keep controlling the puck and keep trying to get it behind them. In a series sometimes having the puck and wearing them out can benefit you later in the game.&quuot; With a three-point performance in Game 1, Richards already has tripled his production from last seasons postseason when he had one assist in 10 games. Shawn Kemp Thunder Jersey. Andrew MacDonald scored the only goal of the game for the Flyers, who played with Ray Emery in goal due to an injury to No. 1 option Steve Mason. Emery will get the call again in Game 2 with Cal Heeter serving as the backup, as Mason isnt ready to return from an upper-body injury suffered April 12 against Pittsburgh. Emery played well in defeat on Thursday, stopping 32-of-36 shots. The veteran netminder fell to 20-16 in his postseason career. "Weve got to win one in here and wed like to have that one but well be refocused for the next one," said Emery. "Were confident that if we play the way that we can play we can take them." Philadelphia head coach Craig Berube is looking for a much better effort from his top line in Game 2, as Claude Giroux, Scott Hartnell and Jakub Voracek combined for just two shots in the loss. Hartnell registered both shots and also assisted on MacDonalds goal "They didnt produce," Berube said. "They didnt shoot pucks, they didnt get shots on net, didnt get an attack." Giroux, who finished third in the NHL with 86 points this season, only had two assists in four regular-season games against the Rangers in 2013-14. This series marks the first time these rivals are meeting in the playoffs since the 1997 Eastern Conference Finals, which the Flyers won in five games. Philadelphia has won six of the 10 playoff series against the Rangers, including three straight. Game 3 is scheduled for Tuesday in Philadelphia, with the four meeting set for Friday. ' ' '