Atlanta Hawks Game Preview: Final Tilt vs. San Antonio Spurs
By Chris Guest
A quick preview of the Atlanta Hawks game against the San Antonio Spurs tonight.
For the second and final time this season, the Atlanta Hawks will face off against the San Antonio Spurs. This time, the Hawks will play San Antonio on the road – where they have not beaten the Spurs in more than 20 years.
The last time the Hawks won in San Antonio, Dominique Wilkins was still playing – and starting – but for the San Antonio Spurs, not his most recognizable team tenure.
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Last time these two teams met up, the Spurs bested Atlanta on the Hawks’ home floor by a final margin of 111 to 104 in a game in which Trae Young only shot 33 percent from the field and 1 of 7 from downtown. He also only had 4 assists – an extreme rarity for one of the best passers in the NBA.
The Spurs always play the Atlanta Hawks tough, and the team’s defensive identity, molded over decades by maestro Gregg Popovich, has seemingly always given the Hawks fits.
In the earlier March game between these two teams, LaMarcus Aldridge was also a driving factor behind the Spurs victory. Aldridge, a noted Hawks killer, dropped 32 points and 9 rebounds on a supremely efficient 11 of 16 shooting night.
Derrick White, who was hounding Trae Young all night, had a stupendous game with 18 points, 9 assists, 6 rebounds and a whopping 6 blocks – a sky-high number for a guard. Many of those rejections came at Trae’s expense, as White’s quickness on defense, long arms and all-around better size versus Young victimized the Hawks rookie point guard all night.
Will the Atlanta Hawks be able to keep up the momentum of some recent game-winners against playoff teams? Tune in to find out!
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This game tips off at 8:30 p.m. EST.