Raptors, Hawks edge ahead in respective series

The Toronto Raptors rallied past the Indiana Pacers to take the lead in their NBA play-off series, while the Atlanta Hawks had a big win.

 

 

The Raptors outscored the Pacers 25-9 in the fourth quarter to claim a 102-99 win at Air Canada Centre on Tuesday.

DeMar DeRozan was the star with 34 points as the Raptors took a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference first-round series.

Kyle Lowry contributed 14 points and Bismack Biyombo had a double-double of 10 points and 16 rebounds off the bench.

Paul George finished with a game-high 39 points for the Pacers, to go with eight assists and eight rebounds.

However, the Raptors recovered from a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter before holding on.

Solomon Hill hit a three-pointer but it was ruled to be after the buzzer as overtime beckoned.

It was much easier for the Hawks, who thrashed the Boston Celtics 110-83 as they took a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference.

Mike Scott had a game-high 17 points off the bench for the Hawks, who had five players in double-figures.

Making matters worse for the Celtics was an ankle injury to Isaiah Thomas, who had just seven points.

5:01:00 PM