Pascal Siakam scored 34 points, and the defending champion Toronto Raptors opened the fourth quarter with a 15-4 run to beat the Atlanta Hawks 119-116.
The Hawks led 90-87 after three quarters. Fred VanVleet’s 29-foot 3-pointer put the Raptors ahead for good with 10:05 left. They took a 102-94 lead with 6:05 left and led by as many as 12.
De'Andre Hunter’s 3-pointer made it 118-116 with 11.5 seconds left, and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson went 1 for 2 at the line with the Raptors up 2 and 4.5 seconds left. The Hawks had the ball down 3 after a timeout, but Trae Young missed a 38-foot pull-up 3-pointer at the buzzer that would have tied it.
During clutch time, the Raptors outscored the Hawks 7-3. In the fourth quarter, Jabari Parker had 2 of his 3 steals.
VanVleet had 25 points and 9 assists but shot 7 for 21, and Norman Powell added 20 points (11 in the third quarter). The Raptors had 3 20-point scorers.
For the Hawks, Young had 30 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, his second career triple-double, and Hunter added 26 points (11 in the third quarter) with 6 3-pointers.
The Raptors went 26 for 30 at the line to the Hawks’ 8 for 11.