Hawks shaking off the rust and takeaways from exhibition against the Spurs

The Hawks returned to the court Thursday, traveling to San Antonio to face the Spurs in their second exhibition game. They won 123-116.

After an extremely rusty outing on Monday, the Hawks still needed time to warm up. But they began to show signs of the collective effort the team has said they wanted to play with.

Here are some takeaways:

· The Hawks continue to test out different lineups, moving Aaron Wiggins into the starting lineup in place of Jalen Johnson (rest). Hawks guard CJ McCollum also returned to the starting five after missing the exhibition opener with a nose contusion.

With McCollum back, rookie Kingston Flemings led the Hawks’ second unit.

Like Monday’s opener, the Hawks looked rusty early. They spotted the Spurs a 19-point lead by the end of the first quarter. But the Hawks starters flowed better in their second stint, which began in the second quarter.

After their bench cut into that early deficit, the Hawks starters got within 66-62 with 24 seconds left in the first half.

· They might not have been able to get that momentum without some quality minutes from a bench lineup of Wiggins, Flemings, Corey Kispert, Asa Newell and Onyeka Okongwu (who started).

The Hawks found optimal spacing that let them get the 3s they pushed for earlier in the game. The Hawks made 1-of-12 from 3 in the first quarter. But over two minutes, those five players constantly moved around the floor, so the ball popped and they found each other open for shots. They hit four consecutive 3s.

Their flurry sparked a 22-9 run over four minutes.

· Dyson Daniels picked up where he left off in terms of activity on the glass last season. He came up with some timely offensive rebounds that turned into some much-needed early possessions in their early comeback effort.

He finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds and didn’t hesitate to shoot.

· Flemings looked even more comfortable with the speed of things at the NBA level. After having three turnovers in his exhibition debut, Flemings took very good care of the ball, finishing with just one.

But Flemings also looked at home taking triples in transition, knocking one down that pulled the Hawks within 99-98.