There was no rest for the weary as the travel-worn Spurs were right back out on the road after a one-game stop at home the night before. This was second time in a little over two weeks that the Spurs traveled from San Antonio to an East Coast game the next night, losing an hour in the process, but this time their opponent did not have a rest advantage, with the Hawks playing in Charlotte the night before. Instead, the Spurs picked up right where they left off last night: dominating an inferior opponent to the point
that they could rest everyone in the fourth quarter.
Both teams looked a little off earl, but the two Spurs visiting their hometown were feeling it. Devin Vassell scored 9 of the Spurs first 11 points on 3-4 shooting from three, and Stephon Castle added another to get the Spurs up 18-11 just under six minutes in. Victor Wembanyama came in and immediately made an impact defensively, and Castle continued getting what he wanted in the paint with the Hawks lacking any rim protectors. By the end of the quarter, the Spurs were up 32-19 on a 9-0 run, with their two Georgians combining for 21 of those points to single-handedly outscore Atlanta.
The Spurs continued to put it on the Hawks to open the second quarter, with Dylan Harper using his speed and finishing ability to get right by Atlanta’s leaky defense. Wemby was also cooking in his second stint in the floor, scoring 11 points in the period (it should have been 13, but his last bucket was ruled a charge even though it clearly wasn’t). Harrison Barnes finally broke through the glass ceiling to hit his first three-pointer in four games, and the Spurs had their highest lead so far when the halftime buzzer sounded, 68-44.
After three straight games of good third quarters, Mitch Johnson wasn’t about to let his team revert back to bad habits, so he called a timeout after they were outscored 7-2 to open the second half. They responded by attacking the rim more, and Vassell went back to doing some home cooking with a dunk and three. Wembanyama also brought his own spark off the bench with a couple of blocks, a three and highlight reel dunk, and soon the Spurs had stretched the lead back out to 26 on an 8-0 run. They continued to stretch the lead with Wemby clicking on all cylinders and found themselves up 30, 102-72, having won their fourth straight third quarter.
The fourth quarter was extended garbage time, although the starters got a couple more minutes first to stretch the lead as high as 38. The shorthanded Hawks had to keep playing rotation players, and they started chipping away at the lead a little against the Spurs’ third unit, but it was too little, too late. Lindy Waters and Jordan McLaughlin had a few timely buckets, and the Spurs won 126-98. It’s technically their second five-game winning streak of the season since the Cup Finals don’t count in the standings. The other came at the start of the season, and that was their first since 2019.
Game Notes
- The Spurs’ Georgia boys ended up having a great game in front of their friends and family, combining for 35 points (and being the only two starters in double figures), 5 threes, 9 rebounds and 10 assists. The duo of Vassell and Castle already has a couple of nicknames together, including the Pineapple Boys (For their similar hair styles) and Twins (because the hair makes them look similar on the court), do we need to add something to the mix about them both being from Georgia, and about an hour apart from each other, not less?
- This was arguably Wemby’s best game since returning from injury. As good as he was against the Thunder, he seemed much more in control in this one, dominating every second he was on the court with a 26-point, 12-rebound double-double, along with 3 assists and 2 blocks. He also appeared to play a “ramp up” stretch, as in he played a long stint to check his fitness level, when he checked in with 8:35 left in the third quarter and stayed in until the 10:53 mark of the fourth. He looked a little winded at times but powered through it, which is a good sign he’s ready for more minutes.
- Hat tip to Pete Sydney for finding this little tidbit in the 65-game rule, but the rule also requires a player to play in at least 20 minutes those 65 games to be award eligible. Not average 2o minutes per game, but actually play that many minutes in each game, likely as a means to to keep teams from just sticking their players in for a few minutes at the end of the season to meet eligibility. However, they do allow a couple of “near misses” of 15-19 minutes, and Wemby used one of them last night against the Wizards with just 17 minutes. However, he reached 21 minutes tonight, so he still has one of those to burn, and he can still miss six more games (even though the stats don’t show it, the finals cup game against the Knicks counts as a game played).
- Despite some injuries, the Hawks remain comfortably in the postseason picture out East (currently 9th but 2.5 games from the third seed and 3.5 games ahead of the 11th seed). The Spurs own the right to swap first round picks with them in the 2026 NBA Draft, and while at this point it’s looking like that pick will be late in the lottery at best but likely outside of it, the Spurs did all they could to play a role in where in lands by sweeping the season series with the Hawks.
Up next: Sunday at Washington Wizards
If the Spurs win this game (and there’s no reason they shouldn’t), it will be their first time winning six straight games since the 2016-17 season, when they had two 9-game winning streaks.
