The San Antonio Spurs chopped down the Atlanta Hawks, securing their eighth home victory before going on the road for their next four outings. The visitors were are tied for the most road wins in the East
(7), but they were unable to stop the Spurs when they pushed the pace, and they could not hang when things sped up.
All five Spurs starters scored within the first five minutes, but they found themselves in a shootout with the Hawks. San Antonio’s transition attack and 3-point shooting carried them most of the first, but they were slow to defend the arc, getting stung by six treys as they went into the second frame down six.
Keldon Johnson canned three 3-pointers and slashed to the lane, and the rest of the team followed his lead, feasting in the paint like they were at an unlimited buffet. They briefly took an 18-point lead as De’Aaron Fox (13), Julian Champagnie and K.Johnson broke into double-figure scoring.
The Spurs went to intermission ahead by 14 and with twelve 3-pointers, a season high for a half. The transition offense was flowing, unlike the half-court, but that weakness wasn’t as pronounced because they got to the line 13 times, making 10.
The Spurs subsequently started the third on a roll, but they eased off the gas and it became yet another turd quarter. Atlanta’s 3-pointers brought them within striking distance, and they outscored San Antonio by 11 in the third frame.
The screen-roll defense offered little resistance, and they were also put in a scramble as Atlanta briefly reclaimed the lead, only for Devin Vassell to counter with a quick 3-pointer. He started a 17-4 run, and one of the moments that gave them an emotional lift was Champagnie the lane for an emphatic dunk. The other was David Jones Garcia, getting multiple steals, including an exciting pick-6. The defense picked up significantly and in the last five minutes the full-court press wreaked havoc on Atlanta’s offense.
The Spurs won 135-126, making it their third in a row, splashing 17 3-pointers and shattering their previous season high of 126 points set on Nov. 8.
Game Notes
- The Hawks deployed a big starting lineup, and all its length slowed down the Spurs’ half-court offense in the first half. They also had no shortage of weapons as five of them scored in double figures, including Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who had 38 points, making eight triples.
- San Antonio had the superior bench, and K. Johnson entrance in the game was like a shot of adrenaline into the bloodstream. He had a season-high 25 points, breaking inside the lane, downing 3-pointers and setting up teammates on the move. He logged 14 points on 83.3 percent shooting in the second quarter alone, probably his best sequence of the season. Also, Jones Garcia was a spark plug, playing 18 minutes, and scoring 10 points.
- Champagnie and Luke Kornet are the spot starters in the absence of Stephon Castle and Victor Wembanyama. The former had his second-highest scoring night of the season (20) and set a season high in assists (5). The latter split the center minutes with Kelly Olynynk and Jeremy Sochan, who had 5 boards and 5 assists.
- Fox has been taking an early first-quarter rest, but tonight it didn’t cause him to join the party late. He was scoring easily and picked up three steals and six assists in the first half and ended the night with 26 points. Additionally, he was guarded by Dyson Daniels and still got to his spots without any issue. The only area he wasn’t sharp at was the line, missing four freebies.
- The Hawks didn’t have a traditional playmaker with Trae Young (knee) absent, but but had four players with at least five assists. On top of that, Jalen Johnson is such a versatile and mobile weapon at 6’ 8 that the Spurs don’t have many answers for him. He was the visitors’s lead assist man with seven.
- Despite the half-court offense being contained early, the Spurs eventually found their groove, scoring 113.7 points per 100 plays, good enough for the 91st percentile, per Cleaning the Glass.
- Even without Wemby, San Antonio’s defense permitted the Hawks 58.1 percent shooting in the restricted area, which is 8.6 points below the league average.
