Spurs knock off Hawks, 106-104, on last second shot
By Brad Rowland
Despite a furious comeback in the 4th quarter that saw a 15-point Spurs lead dwindled to zero, San Antonio was able to hold off the hard-charging Atlanta Hawks thanks to some last-second heroics. With 3 seconds remaining, Spurs point guard Patty Mills found journeyman big man Aron Baynes for a floater to take a 2-point lead, and when Atlanta’s Jeff Teague chose to kick the ball to Kyle Korver (rather than shooting himself) on the subsequent possession, the clock expired on Atlanta’s chances to recover.
The turning point on the scoreboard, in what was otherwise a back-and-forth contest, came in the 3rd quarter, when the Spurs used a 15-for-25 shooting outburst to put up 38 points in the 12-minute frame, and with that, they leapt to a 15-point lead they were able to hold on to. This gave San Antonio the cushion that they needed in order to use the end of their bench for the duration of the 4th quarter, even against the starting five for the Hawks.
Kyle Korver led the way for Atlanta, scoring 26 points (on 10-15 FG, 5-8 3-point) in 34 minutes, and Jeff Teague chipped in admirably with a 15-point, 12-assist game. The starters all exceeded 30 minutes of floor time in the loss, and although Paul Millsap and DeMarre Carroll struggled offensively at times, it was a mostly effective night for the core of Atlanta’s roster.
The bench seemed to be where San Antonio made most of their headway, and that isn’t a shock. Atlanta’s Mike Scott and Jared Cunningham each cracked double-digits for the Hawks (11 points each), but only Scott really stood out as an effective player off the bench, and the Spurs outscored the Hawks 61-26 from their reserves. It clearly wasn’t an “apples to apples” comparison, as the San Antonio bench played far more minutes, but in the end, they soundly outplayed the Hawks to propel the road team to victory.
On a night where Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili each flashed their greatness at various times, things are very positive for the San Antonio Spurs as they leave the capitol of Georgia. However, the Hawks likely aren’t so positive, as not even their starters could topple the Spurs’ bench late in the game.