Kawhi Leonard, Raptors Beat Hawks 104-101; Trae Young Scores 19 Points

The Toronto Raptors took back the top spot in the Eastern Conference with a 104-101 win over the Atlanta Hawks.

Toronto scored the final six points of the back-and-forth thriller, with Serge Ibaka scoring the go-ahead basket with 17.1 seconds remaining after a steal from Kawhi Leonard.

After resting last game, Leonard returned Tuesday and came through with 31 points, six assists and six steals in the home win at Scotiabank Arena. After some inconsistent play in the past few weeks, the Raptors have now won three games in a row to get to 31-12 on the season, best in the NBA.

The Hawks showed they can compete with elite opponents but still fell to 12-28 on the season despite John Collins posting 21 points and 14 rebounds. Trae Young finished with 19 points in the loss.

John Collins' Emergence Has Brought Hawks Back to Legitimacy

Young is the most exciting player on the Hawks as the rookie No. 5 overall pick who can make shots from anywhere. He makes more highlight reels with his shooting, passing and dribbling while reminding fans of Stephen Curry.

However, the biggest reason the Hawks were even competitive in this game was Collins.

Young made big shots throughout the night and finished with 19 points, although it took him 20 shots. Jeremy Lin looked as good as he has all season with 20 points and nine assists, but it was still Collins who turned the most heads with a monster 21 points and 14 rebounds.

Perhaps most impressively, he did all of that on 8-of-11 from the field, including 3-of-3 from three-point range.

Collins also had one of the biggest highlights of the game:

He did all this against one of the best teams in the NBA on Tuesday night, and it's clear he can do this against anyone.

The second-year player has a double-double in 15 of 24 games this season, finishing with at least 20 and 10 for the 11th time. This is a major surprise for a player who was drafted outside the lottery last season and averaged a modest 10.5 points per game during his rookie season.

Collins is now on the short list for the league's Most Improved Player, but perhaps more importantly, he has turned the Hawks into a dangerous team.

Atlanta tied for the third-worst record in basketball last year and appeared headed that way once again with a 6-23 start to the season. However, the squad is 6-6 in its last 12 while showing it can compete with the top teams in the league.

The next step is for Collins to become more aggressive with the ball. He averaged 15.4 field-goal attempts per game in December but is now averaging just 10.0 per game in four January appearances. If he becomes the go-to option offensively and Young and Kevin Huerter play to their abilities, the Hawks could get into playoff contention before too long.

In the meantime, the forward is at least helping Atlanta remain a scary opponent for anyone who faces it.

What's Next?

In an interesting scheduling quirk, both teams will face the Brooklyn Nets in their next game. The Hawks will go on the road to the Barclays Center on Wednesday, while the Raptors will host the Nets on Friday.