ATLANTA -- The Atlanta Hawks avoided a series season sweep by the Toronto Raptors and held onto first place in the Southeast Division.

Jeff Teague converted a late three-point play and finished with 23 points Thursday night as the Hawks defeated the Raptors 95-87 to remain a half-game ahead of the Miami Heat and third overall in the Eastern Conference with a week left in the regular season.

"We want to be in the best place we can be for the playoffs, and Toronto had had our number this year," said Al Horford, one of seven Hawks who scored in double figures. "Teague was great, and when he plays like that, we are a completely different team."

The Raptors, the Atlantic Division champions, had won the first three games against the Hawks this season and seven of the previous eight meetings. The Hawks, though, set the tone early this time, forcing Toronto to play from behind.

"The first quarter was the killer," Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. "They were in playoff mode and we weren't in the first quarter. You have to play with force, and we didn't."

Overall, the Hawks (47-32) had 22 fastbreak points to just two for the Raptors (52-26). It was 10-0 in the first quarter.

"Especially at home, you want to get out and play fast," said Hawks guard Kyle Korver, who made four 3-pointers and scored 14 points. "Teams have kind of figured us out offensively from last year and taken some things away from us.

"To counter that, we've had to focus more on defense. The last three times we played them, they had the edge on us. This time we really attacked the basket. We got out and ran early, and that is when we are at our best."

Paul Millsap had 13 points, 14 rebounds and five blocked shots for the Hawks, while Horford and reserves Tim Hardaway Jr. and Mike Scott each scored 11 points. Thabo Sefolosha, starting in place of the sidelined Kent Bazemore, scored 10.

Down 77-63 early in the fourth quarter, the Raptors got within 88-86 on two free throws by Jonas Valanciunas with 56 seconds remaining. However, Teague converted a driving three-point play with 48 seconds left to get the Hawks out of danger.

Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan each had 16 points to lead the Raptors, but their combined total was 13 points under their average.

The Hawks went on a defense-fueled, 14-2 run in the first quarter and increased a 28-20 lead at the end of the period to 37-24 five minutes into the second quarter.

The Raptors were within 47-43 at halftime, however, thanks to a pair of late 3-pointers by Terrence Ross off the bench and nine points in the quarter by Lowry.

Korver and Teague hit 3-point shots to cap an 8-0 run at the start of the second half, and the Hawks were up 70-57 before the Raptors scored the final six points of the third quarter.

The Hawks scored the first seven points of the fourth quarter to go up by 14 points, only to have the Raptors run off 10 straight points and set the stage for a tight finish.

Thanks to Teague, though, the Hawks were up to the challenge.

The point guard scored 20 or more points in four of the past five games, raising his average to 15.5. He made seven of 13 shots against the Raptors, including two of three from behind the 3-point arc, and also had five assists.

NOTES: F DeMarre Carroll, who left the Hawks this summer to sign as a free agent with the Raptors, played for the first time since undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Jan. 6. He recorded five points and four steals in 14 minutes. "We don't expect him to change the world right away," coach Dwane Casey said. ... Hawks F Kent Bazemore sat out because of stiffness in his right knee and was replaced in the starting lineup by F Thabo Safolosha. "It's not where we want to push the envelope," Atlanta coach Mike Budenholzer said of Bazemore's soreness. ... The Hawks complete the home part of the regular season Saturday against the Boston Celtics, one of the teams they are competing with for the third seed in the East. ... The Raptors, 9-5 in the second game of back-to-backs, host the Indiana Pacers on Friday.