Raptors expand lead

UNDATED (AP) The Toronto Raptors continue to put distance between themselves and the 2nd-place New Jersey Nets in the NBA's Atlantic Division.<br/> <br/>The Raptors won their third in a row this

Sunday, February 4th 2007, 9:54 pm

By: News On 6

UNDATED (AP) The Toronto Raptors continue to put distance between themselves and the 2nd-place New Jersey Nets in the NBA's Atlantic Division.

The Raptors won their third in a row this afternoon while the Nets dropped their third straight, giving Toronto a 3-game division lead.

Chris Bosh scored 27 points and Mo Peterson added 18 as the Raptors handed the Los Angeles Clippers only their second loss in nine games, 122-110. Toronto shot 70 percent in the 1st-half and hit 12 of their 20 3-point tries.

In the rest of the three-game NBA slate:

-- The Nets lost more ground on the Raptors by falling to the
lowly Atlanta Hawks 101-99 in overtime. Tyronn Lue scored 6-points in the final 14 seconds, including the game-winning jumper at the buzzer. Joe Johnson poured in a game-high 37 points for the Hawks.

-- Chauncey Billups scored 18 points and the Detroit Pistons
kept their Central Division lead with a 90-78 win at Cleveland. Billups also had 10-assists for the Pistons, who are a game ahead of the Chicago Bulls and two in front of the Cavaliers. Rasheed Wallace added 15 points and 13 rebounds as the Pistons beat the Cavs for the fifth straight time in the regular season.