The Spurs started their Rodeo Road Trip in style this year with an easy win over the Hawks. Trae Young made some noise in the first quarter, but the defense ramped it up and not much was heard from after that, as the Spurs attack ran on all cylinders (and a few more) while shooting a ridiculous 53% [which should have been much higher] for the game, and scored 100 points by the middle of the third quarter. The elimination time was increased in the last quarter, which was great, so Spurs fans could see players like Quinndary Weatherspoon and Keita Bates-Diop for the Spurs and Skylar Mays and Brandon Goodwin for the Hawks. The only bad note of the evening was the poor performance of the Spurs’ side of the bench, which were surpassed 36-13 in the last quarter when Quinndary Weatherspoon made a mistake after 10 minutes of play and the Hawks scored better than the Spurs 41 -15 in the last quarter.
Observations
- I sometimes refer to Trae Young and “dollar store Steph Curry.” It’s mean, but not completely inaccurate. He’s incredible at scoring the ball and improving the other aspects of his game, so it’s probably unfair to him as he’s still developing.
- Jakob Poeltl is not a big goalscorer, but he does a lot for the attack with his screens. About half of the Spurs’ open shots are due to Jacob when he’s in play.
- Patty Mills has a lot more to his game than when he joined Spurs. He’s a great shooter, but he can also pull him into lane for a floater or wrap-around lay-up.
- There’s nothing more fun to watch than the Spurs when they’re really rolling. The first half was a brilliant Spurs basketball and not exactly an excellent defense from the Hawks.
- The bad play of the players at the end of the bench was the worst part of the game. The Hawks players who came into play were very motivated and the Spurs just looked awful. There was never a chance the Spurs would lose this lead, but the guys at the end of the bench need to be better prepared when they play. Quinndary Weatherspoon in particular was very bad, scored 2 points and retired in 10 minutes.
Game flow
The Spurs got off to a good start, but things got a little chippy when DeMar DeRozan and John Collins faced each other early and got the dreaded dual tech, one on Dejounte and one on Collins. The Spur extended their lead to double digits mid-quarter, but when the Spurs’ bankers got into the game, Trae Young came loose and 17 of the Hawks scored 29 points in the quarter.
The Spurs took their defense on Young in the second quarter and kept him at 2 in the frame. The Silver and Black extended the lead with Jakob Poeltl creating an almost impenetrable barrier at the edge for the Hawk bigs. The Spur hit almost everything they looked at in the second quarter, led by a whopping 30, with a ridiculous score of 77-48 in the half.
The torrent of points continued as the second half began, while Spurs led by a whopping 39 points at the start of the quarter. But after two quick buckets from the Hawks, a nervous Popovich called out a 35-point lead to regroup. The Spurs regrouped and hit the century mark by the middle of the quarter, leading 100-61 with plenty of time to play. Lloyd Pierce can read a scoreboard and he started to empty the bank and a Summer League game broke out as Spurs led 110-72 after three on a Patty Mills four-point game to close the quarter.
The quality of play wasn’t that great in the last quarter as both teams emptied their benches, and while the Hawks bench made a small dent in the lead, that wasn’t nearly enough, although it gave Pop plenty of opportunities to play at the young boys who had let the players on the Hawks bench cut the lead from a high of 42 to 11, as time ran out. It will go down as an 11-point win for Spurs, but it was never that close.
Music break
Atlanta, the birthplace of Blind Willie McTell.
What’s next .
Visit Peachtree Hoops for the perspective of the Hawks fans.
The Spurs will continue their stay in the Eastern Conference with a game against the Hornets on Sunday night at 6:00 p.m. as they try to stay unbeaten on this year’s Rodeo Road Trip. See you there!