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AJ Griffin, son of Raptors coach Adrian Griffin, hits game-winning alley-oop vs. father's team in overtime

Kyle Irving

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AJ Griffin, son of Raptors coach Adrian Griffin, hits game-winning alley-oop vs. father's team in overtime image

You always hear about those tough moments for a father when they realize their son is finally able to beat them in any sort of competition.

It's typically a game of one-on-one in the driveway where youth and athleticism prevail over age and "dad strength," but for Hawks rookie AJ Griffin, that moment just happened to come on a slightly bigger stage than most.

Griffin's father, Adrian Griffin, is the lead assistant coach for the Raptors. Griffin played nine years in the NBA and has been an assistant coach since 2008, spending the last five seasons on Toronto's bench.

In his second-ever game against his son, AJ earned the ultimate bragging rights over dad.

On Saturday, the Hawks and Raptors were engaged in an overtime thriller before AJ sent Atlanta home with a win.

O.G. Anunoby made a pair of free throws to tie the game with 3.8 seconds remaining, but Toronto's full-court defense suffered a major breakdown to lead to a heartbreaking loss.

All-Star guard Trae Young received the inbounds pass and pushed the ball up the floor to make a play. Anunoby was serving as the Raptors' safety and stepped up to challenge Young, but that left Griffin wide open behind the entire defense.

Young — being one of the NBA's best passers — delivered a dime under pressure, finding Griffin on a buzzer-beating, game-winning alley-oop to defeat his father's team.

This wasn't the only clutch bucket Griffin had against his dad's squad, either. He also knocked down a timely jumper earlier in overtime to give the Hawks a lead, leaving his father confused as to how to react.

The Duke product delivered one of his best games as a rookie, going for 17 points off the bench along with the game-winning bucket.

Immediately after the game, AJ said he hadn't had the chance to talk to his dad yet but he was looking forward to seeing how he reacted.

"I don't know what his reaction was, but I'll probably watch the clip again and it's probably bittersweet for him," Griffin said of his dad, according to The Athletic's Kevin Chouinard.

Later on in the evening, AJ caught up with his dad before he hopped on the Raptors' team bus.

"Man, I can't even put it into words," AJ said. "That moment right there just speaks for itself. Looking back (on the play), I could've looked back at my dad after I hit it but that was just an amazing moment and I'm truly grateful for it."

With the holidays right around the corner, it's a safe bet that AJ will have plenty to say to his father at the dinner table.

Kyle Irving

Kyle Irving Photo

You read that wrong – not Kyrie Irving. From Boston, graduated from the University of New Hampshire. Sixth season as a content producer for NBA.com's Global editions. Covering the NBA Draft has become his annual "dream come true" moment on the job. Irving has a soft spot for pass-first point guards, with Rajon Rondo and Steve Nash being two of his favorite players of all time.