Smith driving down the court with Kawhi Leonard right behind him. (Kevin C. Cox/NBA/Getty Images)
UPDATE:
Hawks will play without Al Horford, Josh Smith, Devin Harris and possibly Kyle Korver vs. Spurs. #ATLHawks
— Chris Vivlamore (@CVivlamoreAJC) April 6, 2013
Hawks lineup: Teague, Jones, Tolliver/Korver, Johnson and Petro. #ATLHawks
— Chris Vivlamore (@CVivlamoreAJC) April 6, 2013
***
The slumping Spurs host the short-handed Hawks on Saturday and look to extend their dominance over Atlanta by defeating them for the 15th straight time in San Antonio.
The Spurs will likely be without star point guard Tony Parker, who is dealing with a nagging sore left ankle, and Manu Ginobili, who is recovering from a strained hamstring. Ginobili hasn’t started a game the entire season for San Antonio, but is the first man off the bench and plays a huge part in the team’s overall success. Nando de Colo will likely start if Parker can’t go.
The Hawks are expected to get back sharp-shooter John Jenkins after he was diagnosed with a mild concussion last week in Boston, but will still be without combo guard Devin Harris. Harris received a Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) injection in his toe last Wednesday and will be back in a week.
The Spurs have outscored Atlanta by an average of 18.6 points when playing in San Antonio. The Hawks have also dropped 11-of-12 in the series overall, including four straight.
Parker had 23 points and 12 assists in the Spurs’ 98-93 win at Atlanta on Jan. 19.
Atlanta is coming off Friday’s 101-90 smack down at home to the Philadelphia 76ers. The Hawks had five players score in double-figures, but were never really in the game after getting outscored 40-26 in the first quarter.
With the loss, they dropped one game behind the Chicago Bulls for fifth place in the East.
Atlanta has lost three straight road games against West opponents, and have also dropped four of their last five road games when playing on the second night of back-to-backs.
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Quick Facts
Who?: Atlanta Hawks at San Antonio Spurs
What?: East vs West Showdown (Game #78, Road Game #39)
Where?: AT&T Center (San Antonio, TX)
When?: Saturday, April 6, 2013 – 8:30 PM (EST)
How?: SportSouth HDTV / 680 AM & 93.7 FM
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Projected Starting Lineups:
Atlanta Hawks:
PG: Jeff Teague | SG: Dahntay Jones | SF: Anthony Tolliver | PF: Ivan Johnson | C: Johan Petro
Philadelphia 76ers:
PG: Nando de Colo | SG: Danny Green | SF: Kawhi Leonard | PF: Tim Duncan | C: Tiago Splitter
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Injury/Inactive Players Report
Atlanta Hawks: John Jenkins (mild concussion) is probable. Kyle Korver is a game-time decision. Devin Harris (sore left foot), Josh Smith (knee), Al Horford (hamstring), Zaza Pachulia (Achilles surgery) and Lou Williams (torn right ACL) are out.
San Antonio Spurs: Tony Parker (sore left ankle) is doubtful. Stephen Jackson (mild sprained right ankle) is day-to-day. Manu Ginobili (strained right hamstring) is out.
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Current Records/Streak & Hot, Lukewarm, or Cold
Records: Atlanta Hawks (42-35) … San Antonio Spurs (56-20)
Streaks: Atlanta Hawks –> OVERALL: Lost 2 / HOME: Lost 2 / ROAD: Lost 1 … San Antonio Spurs –> OVERALL: Lost 1 / HOME: Won 1 / ROAD: Won 4
Home/Away Records: Hawks are (18-20) away … Spurs are (33-5) at home.
Atlanta Hawks: Cold. Hawks have lost two in a row and have slipped to the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference standings.
San Antonio Spurs: Cold. Spurs have lost three-of-four overall and will be without stars Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. They’ve also allowed the OKC Thunder to tie them atop the West standings for the #1 seed.
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Season/Past Season Series
The Hawks head to San Antonio for the only time this year in the second-of-two games with the Spurs. Atlanta dropped a 98-93 decision to the Spurs on 1/19 at Philips Arena in the first contest. Josh Smith scored 21 points and Al Horford had 15 rebounds for the Hawks, while San Antonio was led by Tony Parker’s 23 points and 12 assists. The Spurs currently own a four-game winning streak against the Hawks and have taken the last 14 at home. Atlanta’s last win in the series was a 119-114 overtime triumph on 3/21/10 and their last victory in San Antonio came on 2/15/97 (109-89). The Spurs lead the all-time series 44-36, including a 28-12 home record.
LAST MEETING — SPURS 98, HAWKS 93 — PHILIPS ARENA (ATL, GA) — 1/19/13
The shorthanded Hawks dropped a 98-93 decision to San Antonio at Philips Arena. San Antonio led 25-16 after one, as the Hawks committed six miscues in the quarter. The Spurs kept the pressure on in the second, taking a 52-42 advantage into the half. The Hawks staged a comeback in the third, eventually taking the lead at 61-60. After losing Lou Williams (torn right ACL) for the season in the Brooklyn game, the Hawks were fighting tooth-and-nail with San Antonio until Devin Harris went down early in the fourth quarter with an ankle sprain. San Antonio outscored Atlanta 26-23 in the final period to come away with the win. Josh Smith led the way with 21 points, while Kyle Korver added 19 and Jeff Teague hit 16. Harris had 13 off the bench before his injury. Al Horford grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds. Tony Parker paced the Spurs with 23 points and 12 assists. Kawhi Leonard and Tiago Splitter put in 14 each, and Matt Bonner was huge off the bench with 17 (7-8 FGs, 3-3 3FGs).
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Common Threads
Danny Ferry played (2000-03) and worked in the front office (2003-05, 2010-12) with the Spurs. Ivan Johnson is a San Antonio native (Fox Tech HS). Nick Van Exel suited up with the Spurs in 2005-06, his final NBA season. Anthony Tolliver played 19 games for San Antonio in 2008-09. Hawks assistant Bob Weiss served as head coach of the Spurs for two years (1986-87). Boris Diaw was Atlanta’s first round pick in the 2003 NBA Draft and played two seasons for the Hawks (2003-05). Stephen Jackson was a Hawk in 2003-04, averaging 18.1 ppg.
Information was used from the Hawks and Spurs official gamenotes