Raptors 109, Hawks 102
Amir Johnson recorded 16 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks as Toronto held off visiting Atlanta in the season opener for both teams.
DeMar DeRozan added 15 points, 11 rebounds and six steals, but committed five of the Raptors' 10 total turnovers while Jonas Valanciunas scored 17 points to go along with eight rebounds. Kyle Lowry dished out a game-high 10 assists for Toronto, which had seven players score in double figures.
Kyle Korver racked up 20 points, including six 3-pointers, while Jeff Teague and Mike Scott also added 20 points for the Hawks, who went 13-of-22 from beyond the arc. Al Horford, who was playing in his first game since tearing his pectoral muscle on Dec. 25, grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds.
The Raptors led by as much as 19 in the fourth quarter before Teague keyed a late rally to trim the deficit to 103-96 with 2:06 left in the game. Scott drilled a clutch 3-pointer to close the gap to four before Toronto made four free throws in the final minute to preserve its third straight win over the Hawks at the Air Canada Centre.
DeRozan sank a pair of free throws to give the Raptors their biggest lead of the first half at 60-50 as they went 13-of-15 from the line to take an eight-point advantage into the break. DeRozan's deft finger roll put Toronto on top 76-63 and Lou Williams beat the third-quarter buzzer with an off-balance runner to extend the lead to 15.
GAME NOTEBOOK: The Raptors improved to 11-9 all-time in season openers. ... Williams scored eight points in his first game since being traded from Atlanta in the offseason. … Korver has made at least one 3-pointer in 128 straight games.