RJ Barrett and Brandon Ingram help Raptors surge past Hawks 134-117

By Canadian Press on January 3, 2026.

TORONTO — Brandon Ingram led the way with 29 points as the Toronto Raptors surged past the Atlanta Hawks 134-117 on Saturday.

RJ Barrett of Mississauga, Ont., who is still on a minutes restriction after spraining his right knee, had a season-high 27 points and four rebounds in 30 minutes of play for Toronto (21-15). Scottie Barnes had 20 points and Ingram added nine rebounds.

Sandro Mamukelashvili had a double-double off the bench with 13 points, 12 rebounds and a career-high eight assists.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who is from Toronto, led all scorers with 31 points for Atlanta (17-20). Jalen Johnson added 30 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.

Dyson Daniels had a double-double with 20 points and 12 assists

Star guard Trae Young (right quad contusion) missed the game.

TAKEAWAYS

Hawks: After shooting a torrid 38 for 72 on field goals in the first three quarters, Atlanta’s offence sputtered in the final 12 minutes of play, going 4 for 19 from range.

Raptors: Interior scoring has been a problem with starting centre Jakob Poeltl (lower back) out and Toronto’s bench has also struggled to find its groove. That wasn’t the case in the high-flying win, however, as the Raptors outscored the Hawks 60-46 in the paint and their reserves outscored the visitors 35-24.

KEY MOMENT

Toronto held a narrow 107-106 lead at the start of the fourth quarter but reeled off a 16-0 run over the first five minutes of the period for a 17-point advantage, the biggest of the game.

KEY STAT

After back-to-back games scoring 24 points or less in the first quarter, Toronto had 35 points in the opening 12 minutes of the game.

UP NEXT

Toronto and Atlanta: Play at Scotiabank Arena again on Monday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 3, 2026.

John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press