Atlanta Hawks Drop Game To San Antonio Spurs
The Atlanta Hawks fought hard, but ultimately fell to the San Antonio Spurs. What stood out from the loss?
The Atlanta Hawks entered into Monday night’s contest against the San Antonio Spurs riding high on a three-game winning streak. Despite San Antonio’s recent dominance, the Hawks have already beaten them once this season. A win was not out of the question.
Atlanta put forth a valiant effort, but in the end the Spurs were just too much. The Spurs came away with a 107-99 victory. The Hawks were fortunate to even be in the game in the fourth quarter. Initially, it looked like San Antonio was going to run away with things.
The Spurs held a 10-point lead after the first quarter and an 11-point lead at half-time. The Hawks hung around thanks to bursts of solid defensive play and an offensive spark from Dennis Schroder and Ersan Ilyasova.
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Schroder led the Hawks in scoring with 22 points and 10 assists on 10-for-22 shooting. He struggled from three-point range, shooting 0-for-4 from behind the arc. Paul Millsap added 16 points, five rebounds, and three assists on 6-for-13 shooting.
Tim Hardaway Jr. and Kent Bazemore finished 17 points and 15 points respectively. Ersan Ilyasova scored all eight of his points during one stretch in the second quarter. They came at a point when Atlanta’s offense was scuffling, so they were actually quite important. Have I mentioned how much I love Ilyasova?
The Hawks shot 45.7 percent from the field, but just 6-for-22 from three-point range. This team really misses Kyle Korver. They also committed 16 turnovers against San Antonio’s suffocating, switch-heavy defense.
The Spurs also had a great night offensively. They shot 48.1 percent from the field and 16-for-34 from outside (47.1 percent). Kawhi Leonard played like the superstar that he is. Leonard finished with 31 points, five rebounds, and four assists in 39 productive minutes.
Let me take a brief moment to unleash the hottest take I have bubbling inside my brain. Leonard should be the league’s MVP. Russell Westbrook has been amazing. James Harden has redefined what it means to be a point guard in the modern NBA. I’ll take the guy that plays both elite offense and defense on a team that might finish with the best record in the league. Leonard for president!
His supporting cast also gave him some solid contributions on Monday evening. Patty Mills, Danny Green, and David Lee scored 15 points, 14 points, and 14 points respectively. Mills and Green combined to shoot 7-for-12 from behind the three-point line.
Pau Gasol added 13 points off the bench, while Davis Bertans, Bryn Forbes, and Manu Ginobili each knocked down a three-pointer. As I’ve said before, the Spurs cannot be killed. They are indestructible robots that will be winning 60 games per season for the next 100 years. Long live the Spurs.
Some Hawks players and coaches spoke to the media about the loss after the game. All quotes come from Chris Vivlamore’s game recap in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Paul Millsap spoke about their shortcomings on the offensive end late in the game.
"“We had a few empty possessions,” Paul Millsap said. “Can’t have that against a good team. You’ve got to do better, especially against a good team when it comes down to a few possessions.”"
Millsap is exactly right. Your margin of error is razor thin against a team like the Spurs. The last time the Hawks played the Spurs they were near perfect down the stretch. Last night they weren’t. That thwarted their promising comeback effort.
Mike Budenholzer still took a positive tone overall when discussing their effort.
"“To come in here and compete against these guys is great,” Budenholzer said. “They test you in a lot of ways. Their spacing. Their shooting. Their driving. … For our group to get down after a couple of rough stretches and able to come back and get within one point. A couple of shots here or there. But that’s the game. They made a few more plays than us, a few more shots than us. I’m mostly proud of the guys the way they competed.”"
That was definitely an effort the Hawks should be proud of. They didn’t get the win, but they’re clearly trending in the right direction as the season comes to a close. The Hawks return to Philips Arena Thursday night against the Memphis Grizzlies.
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We’ll see if they can get another winning streak started.