Now this is a winning streak – and what the Hawks feel they are capable of with a healthy roster.
The Hawks won their fifth straight game with a 118-113 overtime victory over the Raptors Tuesday at Philips Arena. Jeff Teague and Paul Millsap played major roles in the triumph as the Hawks have completed a turnaround after losing 14 of 15 games.
“I think this is more who we are than we were during that (losing) stretch,” Kyle Korver said. “Having bodies and having more confidence going into the game that you are going to go out there and play well and have a good chance to win.”
The aggressive Teague was on full display. The Hawks point guard scored a career- and game-high 34 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter. Paul Millsap had his first career triple-double with 19 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists.
It wasn’t easy. The Hawks started slowly and trailed by 13 points in the first quarter.
Teague scored 12 points, with one drive to the basket after another, in the second quarter as the Hawks went on a 21-8 run to get back in the game.
“We just played with a lot of pace,” Teague said of his aggressive effort. “Having Kyle (Korver) and Pero (Antic) on the floor to stretch the defense gives me an opportunity to drive.”
The Hawks broke a 49-49 halftime tie with a strong third quarter from Millsap, who had 10 points. The Hawks took a two-point lead into the fourth quarter, 80-78. In a back-and-forth fourth quarter Teague scored nine straight points. The Hawks took a 106-104 lead on a Korver 3-pointer with 1:26 remaining. A layup by Kyle Lowry with 8.1 seconds left tied the game. Millsap lost control of the ball on an isolation play on the final possession setting up the extra five minutes.
Antic started the overtime with a 3-pointer and the Raptors answered with one from John Salmons. DeMarre Carroll converted a back-door cut layup to give the Hawks a 111-109 lead they would not relinquish. Teague and Korver combined to go 7-for-7 from the free throw line as the Raptors started overtime by going 1-for-8.
“I’m happy that our guys could find a way to get a tough win,” coach Mike Budenholzer said. “A lot of guys stepped up at different times. We made some plays down the stretch. We were fortunate. We found a way to win a tough battle.”
The Hawks (31-35, 20-11 home) hadn’t won five straight since the first month on last season. They won six in a row Nov. 16-28 as part of a 20-10 run to start the 2012-13 campaign.
The Hawks are now just one game behind Bobcats for seventh spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race. They are 4-1/2 games up on the Knicks in the eighth spot.
“Charlotte and Toronto are both good teams.” Budenholzer said of the Hawks’ back-to-back wins. “It is a sign that we are playing better for longer stretches. We keep talking about playing for 48 minutes and improving our defense. To be tested the last two nights by two good teams is good for us. That is what we need. That is what we need going forward.”
In addition to the scoring outputs of Teague and Millsap, Korver finished with 16 points. Carroll, Antic, Shelvin Mack and Cartier Martin all had eight points.
“I can’t do it without the team,” Millsap said of his triple-double. “They knocked down shots, especially for the assists. They gave me some good looks and I knocked down some shots.”
The Raptors (37-29, 17-16 road) lost their second straight. DeMar DeRozan, who scored 31 points in each of the previous two meetings, led the Raptors with 29 points. He entered the game ninth in the NBA in scoring at 22.5 points per game.
Several injuries occurred in the game Carroll left in the first quarter to receive four stitches for a right eye laceration caused by an elbow. He returned in the second quarter. The Hawks lost guard Dennis Schroder to a left ankle sprain in the fourth quarter. Budenholzer did not have an update on the severity of the injury following the game. The Raptors lost center Jonas Valanciunas, who had 16 points, in the fourth quarter with a lower back sprain.
The Hawks have off from practice the next two days before they host the Pelicans Friday.
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