The Atlanta Hawks were handed a tough overtime loss on the road in San Antonio against the Spurs, 133-126. Trae Young missed a potential game-winning jumper as the clock expired in regulation, and the Spurs outscored the Hawks 13-6 in the extra period. The Spurs handed Atlanta their second straight regular season loss, following a season-high six game winning streak.
De’Andre Hunter has been a revelation for the Hawks this season. With 11 seconds remaining in the game, and Atlanta down two, the contender for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award threw down a ferocious one-handed dunk on San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama to even up the score at 120.
An errant pass from veteran Chris Paul, gave Atlanta the ball back with a chance to win the game in regulation, with 8 seconds remaining, but Young’s 20-foot step-back missed. In overtime, Wembanyama used a quick 8 points to put away Atlanta and secure the victory for the Spurs.
The young French superstar had himself a night against the Hawks. Wembanyama finished with 42 points, shooting 13-of-24 overall from the field, 7-of-15 from three, and also going 9-of-12 from the free throw line. He stuffed the stat-sheet, adding 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 blocks and 2 steals to his monster night.
Atlanta, who was without Onyeka Okongwu, had another strong showing from the bench, outscoring San Antonio, 58-30. Hunter finished with 27 points, on razor sharp splits of 60% overall from the field, 50% from three, and 100% on all five free-throw attempts. Larry Nance Jr., who stepped in for the injured-Okongwu, added an efficient 21 points off the bench, hitting 5-of-6 three’s, and finished with a double-double, grabbing 13 boards. Bogdan Bogdanovic added in 10 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists.
Trae Young kept up his stellar playmaking abilities finishing with 23 points and 16 assists. He shot a respectable 7-of-16 from the field, and went 3-of-6 from beyond the arc. Jalen Johnson pitched in with 22 points and 9 rebounds.
Overall, a solid night for the Hawks, that just did not end up in a victory. Atlanta drops back down .500 at 14-14.
The Hawks will get a day’s rest before they host the suddenly red-hot Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday, who just beat the Golden State Warriors by 51 points. Memphis has also won 11 of their last 13 games. Tip-off for Saturday’s game is at 7:30 p.m. eastern.
