Trae Young dishes out season-high 17 assists as Hawks rout Spurs

Hunter looked in command as he handled some of the ball handling duties in the matchup, as well as ended the night with three steals. He scored 24 points, while pulling down five rebounds.

2. The Hawks’ second unit struggled to keep the game afloat in its first stint, allowing the Spurs to outscore them 12-5 in the first half. It forced Hawks coach Nate McMillan to turn back to his starters earlier than normal.

With the starters back in, the Hawks slowed the Spurs’ 24-10 run and eventually regained the momentum.

Out of the locker room following the halftime break, the Hawks jumped on the Spurs and got the team out to their biggest lead of the night. They held the Spurs to 2-of-12 shooting while making over 50% of their shots.

“We knew that they were going to come in with that energy and that scrappiness,” McMillan said. “It took us 24 minutes to start establishing and coming up with that urgency that we needed on both ends of the floor.”

All five starters scored 14 or more points by the end of the night.

3. The Hawks moved the ball well, particularly in the second half. It allowed them to pull away from the Spurs, who were coming off a double-overtime loss to the Pistons the night before.

Trae Young who dished out a season-high 17 assists to go along with his 24 points, one block and one steal. Young has had 10 or more assists in seven of his last eight games as he continues lead the NBA in assists and is fourth in the league in assists per game with 10.

Young’s assists resulted in 37 points.

4. Despite the slow start, the Hawks attacked the basket and scored 70 points in the paint, the most they’ve scored in four quarters so far this season. The Hawks have had 72 points in the paint in two other outings, their overtime win over the Raptors on Nov. 19 as well as their double-overtime loss to the Warriors last month.

“It’s always an emphasis,” McMillan said. “It’s always a key for us to attack.”

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

5. The Hawks did have their newest acquisitions in the building following their arrival to Atlanta. But neither Saddiq Bey, Bruno Fernando nor Garrison Mathews suited up and all sat in street clothes on the bench.

Both Fernando and Mathews participated in shootaround on Saturday morning ahead of the game, while Bey sat out because of league rules regarding the pending four-team trade. The Hawks have to wait for the Warriors’ decision about Gary Payton, following a failed physical. Golden State can accept the trade or void it.

“He’s in a locker room,” McMillan said on Bey. “So, we’re talking to him. We just can’t put him out on the floor until Golden State makes a decision on what they’re going to do.”

Stat to know

29.7% -- The Hawks held the Spurs to 29.7% (11-37) 3-point shooting. It’s the 20th game of the season holding an opponent under 30% shooting. They’re 18-2 when they hold an opponent under 30%.

Quotable

28 - Trae Young tallied his NBA-leading 28th points/assists double-double of the season in the opening half, notching 12 points and 10 assists. It was his third first-half double-double of the season and the ninth of his career.

Quotable

“He’s always been better going to his left than his right. He’s comfortable going to his left for a jump shot when he crosses over in the pick-and-roll, that kind of thing. So he already had that. But he worked on a 3-point shot. He worked on decision-making once he’s in the lane, and that sort of thing. And he worked on defense. So every player adds to their game but they usually come with a couple of things that are always already kind of natural to them.” -- Spurs coach Gregg Popovich on Dejounte Murray before the game.

Up next

The Hawks head to Charlotte to face the Hornets Monday in the last road game before the All-Star break.