The Atlanta Hawks were back at home on Friday night to face the San Antonio Spurs. Coming off a game against the Charlotte Hornets, where they stormed back late but lost, the Hawks were looking to get a win on the first game of their five-game homestead.
The Spurs were also coming off a back-to-back, but won their game against the Washington Wizards.
After returning from injury yesterday, Trae Young was ruled out for right knee management, but head coach Quin Snyder noted that he would play in the
Hawks’ next game.
Zaccharie Risacher popped it off for the Hawks, knocking down a three-pointer.
The Spurs were clicking on all cylinders to start the game, knocking down a few threes early to take the lead. The Hawks tried to match, but they weren’t able to leading to more opportunities for the Spurs to get points on the other end.
The Hawks tried to stay in it, and Jalen Johson got this tough layup to cut down their deficit.
Things didn’t get better for the Hawks down the stretch of the first, and they went into the second trailing 32-19. Things got worse before they got better for the Hawks to start the second, as they couldn’t get any shots to fall, while the Spurs stayed consistent.
Asa Newell made his presence felt in the second, using his body to get the easy bucket in the paint.
Onyeka Okongwu turned defense into offense, and Daniels was able to finish it at the rim.
Though the Hawks were making plays here and there, the Spurs had an answer for almost everything they do. The Hawks trailed by as much as 24 in the first half, and the hope was that when the second half started, they could get into a rhythm.
The Hawks fought to try and get themselves back in it coming into the third, but they were already too deep in a hole. Johnson took it almost 94 feet and got a layup early in the quarter.
Later on in the quarter, the Hawks used ball movement to get Risacher a clean three.
Okongwu got this floater to go over the tall hands of Victor Wembanyama.
More so similar to the first half, the Hawks would make a few plays, but the Spurs had an answer for every call. Going into the fourth, the Hawks trailed 102-72.
The Spurs went on a 10-2 run to start the fourth, and they pulled their starters afterwards. The Hawks still had most of their rotation players in throughout the fourth. With about nine minutes left, Quin Snyder pulled the plug, with the only starter left in the game being Risacher.
From there, it was the battle of the reserves, and the Spurs walked away with the win.
Alexander-Walker finished with 23 points, and Johnson finished with 17 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists.
The Hawks will be back in action on Sunday afternoon against the Chicago Bulls.
