Ten observations from Hawks 102, Spurs 99. . .
1. The Hawks trailed by as many as 14 points in the first half. They got within four at halftime and took a 57-55 lead in the third quarter, their first advantage since 33-32, and were up 89-85 with less than five minutes to go. They held on for the victory with good defense, strong rebounding and three baskets by Dennis Schroder over the final 2:45. Schroder's off-balance, driving bank shot with 10.2 seconds to go pushed the lead to 98-95. Dewayne Dedmon and Schroder each made two free throws in the final 8.6 seconds to hold off the Spurs.
"I'm pleased with the way our guys competed today," said Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer, a Spurs assistant for 19 seasons. "It's always a great test against a team that has been together a long time and does all the things that San Antonio does well. For us to win a close game here at home on MLK Day in front of a great crowd, it's just a good day for our team and our players. I'm very happy for them."
2. The Spurs held out star Kawhi Leonard, who recently returned from a shoulder injury. But this was a good win for the Hawks, who bucked a season-long trend by holding on to a fourth-quarter lead. "We've been in this situation probably a dozen times this year and it hasn't really worked out for us every time," Hawks guard Kent Bazemore said. "But we continue to grow and trust in our guys. Dennis had the ball down the stretch tonight and he kind of carried the torch for us. We just needed to get stops and follow the game plan, which was keep them off the 3-point line and we did that. (the Spurs were 8-for-22 on 3-pointers)"
3. Schroder (26 points) scored 12 points on seven shots in the fourth quarter, including a pull-up jump shot before his driving layup. But on the possession before those plays, Danny Green blocked Schroder's drive attempt. Dedmon alertly collected the loose ball and converted a three-point play that gave the Hawks an 89-84 lead with 1:12 to go. Dedmon has been really good in four games since returning from a leg injury that sidelined him for 19.
4. For some reason, the Spurs didn't seem that concerned about Ersan Ilyasova taking pick-and-pop, fade away jumpers from the elbow area. He's good at those and made a few on the way to 20 points on 15 shots. Later in the game Ilyasova slipped to the basket for easy chances.
5. Dedmon, Ilyasova, Miles Plumlee and John Collins combined for 29 rebounds to help the Hawks beat a good rebounding team 50-37 on the boards. The Spurs collected just eight of their 50 misses. Budenholzer: "Having all of our bigs back (healthy) is really helping us on the boards. Miles Plumlee has been a huge impact on our rebounding and our defense. We are playing a lot of (bigs) so I think they have great energy. There were a few example when of our guards were in there (for rebounds). I thought everybody was a part of it."
6. It looked as if LaMarcus Aldridge might dominate when he made three baskets during San Antonio's 11-4 start. Hawks bigs had trouble getting out to him on pick-and-pops. The Hawks, especially Dedmon, were better at closing space against Aldridge and making him work. But sometimes there's not much that can be done against Aldridge's high-release, fading jumpers, and he muscled his way to an and-1 against Dedmon to get the Spurs within 94-92.
7. Dedmon sparked the first-half come back from 14 points down. His mobility and length make him best suited to chase Aldridge and Dedmon is stout enough to handle Pau Gasol. Dedmon made one of three attempts on 3-pointers and now is 16-for-39 (41 percent) on the season. Dedmon attempted just one 3-pointers before the season, none last season with the Spurs, so you can understand Gregg Popovich's surprised look after Dedmon made his first one.
8. Hawks guard Marco Belinelli was back on the court after missing the Nets game because of an ankle injury. He had 10 points on six shots in 21 minutes.
9. Hawks wing Taurean Prince moved the ball well but otherwise didn't get involved much offensively (two points on five shots). He wasn't on the floor at the finish as Budenholzer went with Malcolm Delaney and Bazemore alongside Schroder.
10. Spurs guard Manu Ginobili left the game after suffering a thigh bruise in the first quarter. Popovich ended up playing every active and healthy player and got something from all of them. That included little-used big Joffrey Lauvergne, who lifted the Spurs in the second half with three points and three assists over six minutes.
