The Hawks needed this one.
For the playoff race and their psyche.
The Hawks led by as many as 14 points in the fourth-quarter and held on for a 95-87 victory over the Raptors Thursday night at Philips Arena. The Raptors got as close as two points with under a minute remaining.
Jeff Teague complete a three-point play with 48 seconds remaining to give the Hawks a five-point lead. Millsap made a pair of free-throws with 21.4 seconds left and Teague made two more with 5.9 seconds left with a Kyle Lowry missed 3-point attempt in between. Teague led seven double-digit scorers with 23 points.
The win snapped a five-game losing streak, prevented a season sweep and was the Hawks’ second in eight games against the Raptors – a team they may very well see in the playoffs.
The Hawks (47-32) keep hold of third place in the Eastern Conference with three games remaining in the regular season.
Kyle Korver (14), Al Horford (11), Paul Millsap (11), Tim Hardaway Jr. (11), Mike Scott (11) and Thabo Sefolosha had double-figure scoring. Millsap added 14 rebounds for a double-double.
The Raptors (52-26), locked into the second spot in the East, had a four-game win streak snapped. Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan each had 16 points.
The Hawks led for the rest of the game after taking a 15-13 lead in the first quarter. They led by as many as 13 points in the first half. The Raptors closed the second quarter on a 19-10 run to pull within four points, 47-43, at intermission.
The Hawks next host the Celtics Saturday.
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