Coming off a win versus the Memphis Grizzlies, the Spurs looked to close out their homestand with a victory against the Atlanta Hawks. After falling behind 34-28 at the end of the first quarter, the Spurs started hitting on all cylinders and outscored the Hawks 46-26 in the second quarter, leading by as many as 19 points. What could’ve been smooth sailing in the third on became fraught as the Spurs allowed the Hawks to outscore the silver and black 32-21. After the Hawks took a one-point lead in the fourth,
the Spurs the executed a defense-led 10-0 run and did not look back. Thanks to a team scoring performance, including 53 bench points, 17 threes, and an unsung hero from the DR, the Spurs closed out the Hawks 135-126.
De’Aaron Fox continues to lead this Spurs team without Victor Wembanyama, dropping an efficient 26 points (9-16 FG), nine assists, five rebounds, and three steals. Remember when the national conversation around De’Aaron Fox was to trade him? In his last four games, De’Aaron has averaged 26 points per game, 8.3 assists per game, three rebounds per game, and 2.3 steals per game. At this current pace, it does not appear that the speedy Fox is slowing down any time soon.
Foz’s offensive threat was on full display: He has so many moves in his bag of tricks that the Hawks’ defense is shell-shocked!
Keldon Johnson dropped a season-high 25 points (9-12 FG, 3-5 3PT), seven rebounds, two assists, and a steal off the bench. KJ checked in the game and immediately caught fire. He was getting buckets from the three-point line, in the paint, and got to the free-throw line. He scored 14 of his 25 points in the second quarter. KJ has been a spark plug for the Spurs offense this season, but this game especially may begin to put him in potential 6th Man of the Year conversations.
AND-ONE! De’Aaron fakes the three and finds an open Keldon under the basket, who then uses his patience to get the and-one bucket!
Julian Champagnie dropped 20 points (7-13 FG, 5-10 3PT), five assists, four rebounds, and a block. Julian is now shooting 39% from three-point land, and has been a consistent shooter for a Spurs squad that likes to spread the ball. However, even though he’s mostly known as a shooter, Julian made some key plays in the paint, including a play that he’s been searching for his entire career.
4-POINT PLAY! Julian knocks down the corner three while being fouled by Dyson Daniels!
THE PLAY. Julian FINALLY gets his ferocious slam by throwing down the hammer in the lane! Jalen Johnson wanted no part of the poster.
Harrison Barnes dropped 16 points, five rebounds, and two assists. Even though it was not the most efficient game from HB, he still found ways to make plays by getting to the free-throw line and knocking down all four of his free throws. The savvy veteran made non-flashy plays that got the job done. Just like how he’s played most of his career.
Too open! After Fox intercepts the pass, the Spurs find a wide-open HB in the corner for three-ball!
Milestone achieved. Much congrats to HB on scoring his 14,000th career point in the game!
Devin Vassell dropped 15 points (6-11 FG, 3-5 3PT), five rebounds, three assists, a steal, and a block. This was a bounce-back game for Dev in terms of efficiency. He stepped up and hit timely threes to either cement a Spurs run or keep them afloat during a Hawks run. His defense continues to be the most underrated part of his game. Until Stephon Castle returns, Dev will stay at his natural position of shooting guard.
David Jones Garcia broke out and dropped 12 points (5-7 FG), six assists, five rebounds, three steals, and a block. In just 19 minutes, DJG reminded Spurs fans and introduced himself to casual fans by looking like his summer league star self. He perfectly filled the backup point guard role by dropping dimes left and right. He also showed off the multiple ways he can score by scoring tough buckets in the paint and draining stepback threes. In terms of energy, his play in the fourth quarter sparked the 10-0 run that gave the Spurs the lead again. He pickpocketed both Daniels and Johnson, and both plays ended up as Spurs buckets on the other end. Until Dylan Harper and Castle come back, DJG should be the backup PG.
Oh, look, a dime! On the fastbreak, DJG finds a cutting Luke Kornet who finishes with patience and ease under the rim!
Full-court dime! After locking up former UTSA legend Keaton Wallace, DJG grabs the board and immediately throws a dime to Champagnie, who’s streaking down the court, and it lands perfectly in his hands for the deuce!
All in all, this was a great victory that showed off the capability of this team to get out and run you off the court, but still find ways to regroup after blowing large leads. The Spurs team of last year would not win most games like this. This squad is very deep (53 bench points), so imagine when some of the main cast return from injury! The team is now 3-0 without Wemby, and they have a four-game road trip ahead. As mentioned before, Castle and Harper should return sooner rather than later. Go Spurs Go!
Finally, here are the full game highlights.
The Spurs travel to Phoenix to take on the Suns this Sunday at 7:00 P.M. (CST) on FDSN-SW.
