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Hawks 118, Raptors 113 (OT)
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
ATLANTA — Guard Jeff Teague scored 34 points, forward Paul Millsap had his first career triple-double and the Atlanta Hawks defeated the Toronto Raptors 118-113 in overtime on Tuesday night.
Millsap, playing his 600 NBA game, had 19 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists as the Hawks won their season-best fifth straight game after losing 14 of their previous 15.
DeMar DeRozan, who had scored 31 points in each of the Raptors’ early games against the Hawks this season, scored 29 and fellow guard Kyle Lowery added 20 for the Atlantic Division leaders.
Guard Kyle Korver, who had 16 points, put the Hawks ahead on a 3-pointer with 1:20 left in the fourth quarter, but Lowery scored on a drive with 8.1 seconds left to send the game into overtime at 106-all.
DeRozan and Lowery combined for Toronto’s final 19 points in regulation.
Teague, who had five assists, was 11 of 18 from the floor and 11 of 11 from the foul line as he topped 30 points for the third time this season.
Center Jonas Valanciunas had 16 points for Toronto but did not play after the third quarter because of lower back issues.
The Hawks (31-35) made just three of their first 16 shots from the field while falling behind 22-9 after eight minutes. The Raptors (37-29) led 26-17 at the end of the first quarter thanks to 11 points from Valanciunas.
Atlanta took its first lead of the game with 1:35 remaining in the second quarter on two free throws by center Pero Antic and was up by five before Raptors forward Steve Novak hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to send the teams into halftime tied at 49.
Teague scored 15 first-half points for the Hawks, 12 of them coming in the second quarter. DeRoza had 12 points at the break, eight of them in the second quarter.
The Hawks had a buzzer-beating 3-pointer themselves at the end of the third quarter, with rookie guard Dennis Schroder’s trey giving them an 80-78 lead. Millsap had 10 points in the quarter.
Schroder sprained his left ankle early in the fourth quarter and was lost for the rest of the game.
NOTES: Raptors F Patrick Patterson missed his sixth consecutive game because of a sprained right elbow. … The Raptors and Hawks meet again Sunday in Toronto. … The teams split their first two games, each winning at home. … The Raptors came in having lost nine of their past 11 games in Atlanta. … It was the second game in the 16th back-to-back this season for the Hawks, who beat the Bobcats in Charlotte on Monday. … The Raptors play the Pelicans in New Orleans on Wednesday. The Hawks’ next game is also against the Pelicans, on Friday at Philips Arena.
