Raptors steal win against Hawks
▶ Leonard leads scoring with 31
Kawhi Leonard made a key steal to set up the go-ahead field goal in the final minute, and he finished with 31 points as the Toronto Raptors defeated the visiting Atlanta Hawks 104-101 on Tuesday night. Leonard has scored at least 20 points in a career-best 17 straight games.
Kyle Lowry added 16 points for the Raptors while Pascal Siakam had 13 points and
10 rebounds, OG Anunoby had 14 points and Serge Ibaka 13. John Collins had 21 points and 14 rebounds for the Hawks, and Jeremy Lin added 20 points. Trae Young had 19 points, Dewayne Dedmon 12 points and nine rebounds and DeAndre’ Bembry 11 points. The Raptors entered the fourth quarter with a threepoint lead, then increased it to five, but the Hawks went on a 7-0 run to lead 88-86 with 8:20 remaining. Tyler Dorsey’s three-pointer gave Atlanta a three-point lead, but Leonard’s one-foot jumper gave Toronto a 98-97 edge with 3:20 left. Dedmon scored the next four points to put Atlanta ahead by three with 2:15 to go. Anunoby’s layup pulled Toronto within one, then Ibaka’s dunk after Leonard’s steal gave Toronto a one-point lead with 17 seconds remaining.
Leonard and Lowry were playing together in a game for the first time since December 9. Lowry had been out with an injury for 10 of 11 games before he played Sunday. Leonard has not played both ends of a back-toback set this season.
Lin’s layup with 4:51 to play in the first quarter gave Atlanta its first lead at 16-15. Vince Carter’s three-pointer bumped the lead to four.
The Hawks led 31-28 after the first quarter. Young’s driving layup with 6:40 left in the first half put Atlanta ahead by nine.
The Raptors used a 9-0 run to lead by two with 2:40 remaining in the second quarter, but the Hawks had a 57-56 advantage at halftime.
The Hawks worked the lead to five before Lowry tied it with a three-pointer with 6:20 to play in the third quarter.
Neither team scored in the final two minutes of the third quarter that ended with Toronto leading 80-77.
Danny Green was rested for the game by the Raptors, the second game he has missed this season.