san antonio spurs

Atlanta Hawks

Trae Young scores 36 points and adds 13 assists in the Hawks 109-99 Win over the Spurs on MLK Day. Young reached 10,000 career points in the victory.

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Trae Young drops 36 PTS and 13 AST in Hawks MLK Day Win over Spurs

atldparada

Trae Young drops 45 points & 14 assists in Hawks 137-135 Win at San Antonio

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Trae Young drops season-high 45 PTS with 14 AST in Hawks Win at Spurs

atljwilson

The Atlanta Hawks lost to the reigning champion San Antonio Spurs Wednesday, but the inspired effort has fans looking forward to the season.  Here are our favorite tweets:

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Better Things Coming After Hawks Hang With Champs

atljtaylor

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Hawks Drop Thriller in San Antonio

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Can the Hawks Beat the Champs? These 8 Questions Will Help Answer That

The Hawks split their first two regular season games, and the schedule doesn't get any easier this week with the Spurs, Hornets and Knicks on the docket.

Details:  8:30 p.m. (ET) | AT&amp;T Center | SportSouth, 92.9 The Game

The reigning NBA Champions are off to a tough start by Spurs standards.  After a Houdini-like escape act on opening night, San Antonio was shut down in the desert Friday against Phoenix.  A rare four-day break between games should give them some time to rest and heal prior to Atlanta's second trip to the AT&amp;T Center in two weeks (the first was a preseason-ending Atlanta win).  Kawhi Leonard's eye infection seems to not be a hinderance, as he played 23 minutes against the Suns on Friday.  He did go 0-5 from the field, but that could be rust as much as vision.  Tiago Splitter and Patty Mills, two key pieces from last year's championship team, remain out, which gives Al Horford and Paul Millsap one less road block on Atlanta's offensive end.  This Spurs team is still a dangerous one though.  Tony Parker is averaging 21 points on 55 percent shooting through two games, and Tim Duncan is averaging a double-double.  The preseason win in San Antonio's house looked good on paper, but the Hawks struggled against the Spurs' first unit before Gregg Popovich pulled the plug in the first half.

Details:  7:00 p.m. (ET) | Time Warner Cable Arena | SportSouth, 92.9 The Game

The Hornets are expected to field their best team in a while.  General manager Rich Cho has made a splash in free agency in back-to-back years, getting Al Jefferson in 2013 and following that up with the Lance Stephenson signing this offseason.  Charlotte is off to a 1-2 start, though all three games have been decided by one possession.  Defensively, we know they're good.  They were fourth in the NBA in scoring defense a season ago and are allowing just 91 points per game through the first three.  The problem with them is scoring the ball.  They've scored more than 100 just once and needed overtime to do it.  Keeping Kemba Walker out of the lane and Al Jefferson off the block are both easier said than done, but accomplishing that should go a long way toward keeping Charlotte's offensive struggles going.  Offensively, the Hawks have the luxury of Al Horford, meaning they can draw Jefferson away from the basket.  That, and keeping the ball zipping, will be key against the Hornets' stout D

Details:  7:30 p.m. (ET) | Philips Arena | SportSouth, 92.9 The Game | Buy Tickets

The Knicks weren't expected by very many to be one of the better teams in the East, but after an opening night stinker against Chicago, they've rallied to beat the Cavaliers and Hornets to open the season 2-1.  New head coach Derek Fisher has preached defense, and his team has responded the past two games, allowing an average of 92.5 points.  With Jose Calderon sidelined for a few weeks, former Hawks draft pick Shane Larkin has stepped into the point guard role and been serviceable.  His stats won't blow you away, but he's shooting an efficient 47 percent and is limiting turnovers.  Carmelo Anthony is off to a hot start, and A'mare Stoudemire seems to finally be fully healthy.  Part of New York's success has been playing Anthony at the 4, allowing for more movement on offense and creating that matchup problem, while allowing themselves to be quicker on defense.  Whether Fisher sticks with that strategy remains to be seen, but it's worked so far for what looks to be an improved Knicks team.

Paul Millsap vs. Carmelo Anthony on Saturday.  Millsap has guarded him in the past when the Knicks have gone small and might have to do it again.

IT PROBABLY WON'T HAPPEN, BUT WE HOPE IT DOES...

The Hawks will beat the Hornets in overtime.  The probability of overtime is small, but it seems to happen frequently when these teams meet, most recently in the preseason.

IT PROBABLY WILL HAPPEN, BUT WE HOPE IT DOESN'T...

The Hawks will lose by two points in a regular season game at the AT&amp;T Center.  See "2012-13" or "2013-14" if you don't know what we're talking about.

Adreian Payne (Plantar fasciitis):  He's listed as day-to-day after sitting out Saturday's home opener.

The Hawks haven't beaten the Spurs in a regular season game in San Antonio since Tim Duncan was drafted in 1997.

Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution pointed out that Kyle Korver (80%), Mike Scott (71.4%) and Jeff Teague (66.7%) all rank among the top 5 in the league in three-point shooting percentage so far this season.

Here's where the various sports websites have us in their rankings this week:

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Tough Week Looms For Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks closed the preseason with a 117-107 win over the reigning NBA champion San Antonio Spurs.  Yes, it's only preseason, but fans can't wait for the real action to begin.