ATLANTA -- When play stopped midway through the second quarter, Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry raised his hand toward the bench, indicating that he needed to leave the game. He walked quickly to the locker room, and it appeared he had succumbed to the flu-like symptoms he felt before the game.

The veteran returned to the court and looked like a new man. Showing no signs of illness, Lowry scored 31 points and helped the Raptors overcome a 17-point deficit en route to defeating the Atlanta Hawks 96-86 on Wednesday.

"He knows when to do it," Toronto coach Dwane Casey said. "He knows exactly where the defense is coming from."

Lowery actually left the court with 4:11 remaining in the first half when he felt sick to his stomach. He returned in the second half and scored 16 of the team's points during an 18-4 run in the fourth quarter, when the Raptors went from seven points behind to seven points ahead. He scored 22 points in the fourth quarter.

"He played very well in the fourth quarter and that was part of the problem," Atlanta coach Mike Budenholzer said. "He did a little bit of everything. He got to the basket, he made a 3, he made free throws. He played well."

Lowery shot 9-for-17 from the field and was 11-for-12 from the line. He added five rebounds and five assists. He has scored 27 points or more in three of his last four games.

"He was pretty aggressive the whole game," Atlanta guard Kyle Korver said. "He got some tough shots to fall and he definitely had us on our heels."

Guard DeMar DeRozan added 17 points and guard Cory Joseph had 10 points for the Raptors (12-7)

Atlanta (12-9) was led by forward Paul Millsap with 14 points and nine rebounds. Forward Thabo Sefolosha added 13 points and five rebounds. Korver scored 12 and center Al Horford had 12 points and nine rebounds. Guard Jeff Teague added 11 points and 10 assists.

The Raptors shot 14-for-19 in the fourth quarter (73.7 percent) and outscored Atlanta 39-20 in the quarter. The loss ended Atlanta's 35-game win streak when it led after the third period.

"Our defense picked it up," Casey said. "It helped our rhythm to our offense. We got some scoring off of our defense and that was the difference."

Casey praised the work his team did on the boards in the final quarter, when the Raptors outrebounded Atlanta 18-8. Forward Patrick Patterson had six of his seven rebounds and center Lucas Nogueira had five of his seven rebounds in the final quarter.

"A 39-20 fourth quarter ... bad defense ... bad offense," Budenholzer said.

Atlanta shot a season-low 36.7 percent from the field.

"I don't think this was one of those nights where offensively we got the looks we wanted in the fourth quarter," Budenholzer said. "The ball was stagnant. It didn't move. I didn't think the offense was good in the fourth quarter."

Toronto forward DeMarre Carroll made his first visit to Atlanta since leaving the Hawks as a free agent in the offseason. Carroll received a rousing ovation, but produced only five points and six rebounds.

Neither team shot the ball well in the opening quarter and neither team led by more than three points. Toronto shot 35 percent from the floor. Atlanta made only three of its first 12 shots and shot 30.4 percent for the period, but led 18-16 after one quarter.

The Hawks got hot in the second period, shooting 50 percent, and outscored the Raptors 28-16 to take a 46-32 lead at the half. It was the fewest points allowed in a half by Atlanta this season. The Hawks led by as many as 17. Sefolosha, starting at forward in place of injured Tiago Splitter, scored 11 in the first half.

The Raptors closed the gap to 66-57 by the end of the third quarter, with DeRozan scoring seven in the period. Forward Terrence Ross came off the bench to hit a 3-pointer and convert a three-point play to draw Toronto as close as seven points with 33.3 seconds left.

NOTES: The crowd included former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield and comedian Chris Tucker. ... The Hawks are averaging 25.5 assists per game. The Raptors haven't had that many in one game. ... Atlanta F Tiago Splitter (right hip) was a part-time participant in practice on Tuesday but was held out of his sixth straight game. G Tim Hardaway Jr. was the team's other inactive. ... Inactive for the Raptors were C Jonas Valanciunas (fractured left hand) and F James Johnson (sore left Achilles). F Bruno Caboclo and G Delon Wright were on the active list for the Raptors after serving a D-League assignment. ... Up next: the Hawks play host to the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday in Kobe Bryant's final appearance in Atlanta. Toronto returns home on Thursday to face Denver.