Trae Young scored 31 points and the Hawks beat the host San Antonio Spurs 124-106 on Wednesday night for their sixth straight victory.
Next up, the Hawks will play at the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday.
Below are some takeaways from the win:
1. The Hawks (10-9) rose above .500 for the first time since Nov. 1. They were 4-3 earlier in the season before losing six straight.
The Hawks just completed a 5-0 homestand after going 0-4 on a tough West Coast trip. But they were able to keep the run going Wednesday on the road, where they have struggled this season. They are still 2-8 away from home, which is the worst record in the East. Only New Orleans (1-9) has a worse road record in the league.
“We were just playing fast and just having fun,” Young said. “The whole bench was engaged the whole time, whether it was the starters in or the second unit in. We were just all engaged, and we all wanted to win. The main focus coming in tonight was just breaking that streak of losing on the road.”
2. Bogdan Bogdanovic had 18 points and John Collins added 15 for the Hawks. Clint Capela continued to round into form, finishing with 11 points and 13 rebounds. Eight Hawks scored in double figures.
Bryn Forbes had a season-high 23 points and Dejounte Murray added 22 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds for the Spurs.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
3. The Hawks opened the second half on a 12-5 run to take a 75-63 lead. San Antonio went 1 of 4 and had two turnovers. The Hawks extended the lead to 89-69 on consecutive 3-pointers by Young and Kevin Huerter, and a 21-footer by Bogdanovic.
4. The Hawks entered the game third in the league in 3-point percentage, shooting 36.7%. They shot 46% (12 for 26) on 3s against the Spurs.
“I like our execution, I like our patience (and our) ball movement tonight,” Hawks coach Nate McMillan said. “Had 26 assists. We feel like when we get that type of ball movement, we’ve got guys that can shoot the ball. They’ll put the ball in the hole.”
5. San Antonio (4-13) lost its sixth straight and is on pace for its worst season since a franchise-low 20-62 in 1997. The Spurs were facing their second straight opponent on an extended winning streak. Phoenix beat San Antonio on Monday for its 13th straight win.
The Hawks are the fourth team to build a 20-point lead against San Antonio this season.
Stat of the game: 7 (number of rebounds for the 6-foot-1 point guard Young, finishing second on the team behind Capela)
Star of the game: Young (31 points, 11 assists, two steals, plus the seven rebounds)
Quotable: “Trae Young was super. The Hawks executed. They got everything they wanted. They deserve credit for that.” -- San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich
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