The Atlanta Hawks staved off the San Antonio Spurs with a 109-99 victory in Atlanta for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The Spurs, down by as many as 35, cut the lead to as little as six in the fourth quarter. The Hawks used that large cushion to their advantage and kept the Spurs at bay for a much needed win.
Atlanta came out hot to start the game with an 11-0 run. The Hawks dominated the paint with 20 points in the quarter. The trio of: Trae Young, Dejounte Murray and Oknyeka Okongwu, combined for 23 points alone in the first period. Atlanta’s energy and focus looked vastly different than it did in losses against the Tyrese Halliburton-less Indiana Pacers and lowly-Washington Wizards, as they jumped out to a 35-16 lead by the end of the first.
The second period was not much different as the Hawks rode the coattails of their superstar, Young, on his way to 29 first-half points, converting six made three’s. Atlanta secured a comfortable 69-34 lead at the half.
The Spurs upped their energy coming out of the half and last summer’s number one overall pick, Victor Wembanyama, started to come to life. Wembanyama was 0-4 in the first-half, but finished the game with a 26-point, 13-rebound double-double, and chipped in 5 blocks as well. The young player was dazzling leading a ferocious Spurs-comeback, that cut the Hawks’ lead to single digits halfway through the fourth.
But, the combination of Jalen Johnson and Young sealed this game for the Hawks, snapping a two-game losing streak. Young finished with a game-high 36 points and 13 assists. He also reached another milestone in his ever growing resume as he hit the 10,000-point plateau, becoming the 10th-youngest to ever do it. Jalen Johnson was all over the floor tonight, finishing with 16 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists and a whopping-6 steals. Murray finished with a double-double of 13 points and 13 assists.
Atlanta earned another W to move to 16-23 on the season. They get the Orlando Magic at home Wednesday night. This will be their third meeting with Orlando having already split the first two.
