The Hawks improved to 3-0 on the preseason with a 100-86 victory over the Spurs Wednesday night at Philips Arena. The Hawks pulled away in the second half after the Spurs, who led at the intermission, pulled their starters.
Jeff Teague led the Hawks with 19 points. Kyle Korver and Paul Millsap each added 13 points and Dennis Schroder had 10 points. Kawhi Leonard led the Spurs with a game-high 20 points.
Here are five observations from the game:
Sefolosha returns
Thabo Sefolosha played for the first time after suffering a broken right leg and ligament damage in a well-document incident outside a New York nightclub in April. The forward missed the Hawks first two exhibition games during his trial in which he was acquitted of all charges.
Sefolosha checked in for first time with 3:52 left in first quarter. He scored on a reverse layup with 1:17 left in the period – his first basket since April 7. Sefolosha missed a long shot at the first-quarter buzzer and received a fist bump from Spurs coach Gregg Popovich after the attempt.
Sefolosha played eight minutes, all in the first half, and finished with five points on 2 of 4 shooting with three rebounds.
Teague solid again
Teague had another strong night at the point. He led the team in scoring with his 19 points. He was 5 of 8 from the field, including 2 of 3 from 3-point range, and 7 of 7 from the free-throw line. Teague added five rebounds and three assists.
Teague turned his right ankle in the first half but didn’t miss any time. He came to the bench during a timeout, changed his shoes, and went back in the game no worse for wear.
Rough start for Tavares
Edy Tavares, the 7-foot-3 center, made his Philips Arena debut but had a rough start. Tavares entered the game in the second quarter and played 6:29 of the first half. During that stint he committed four fouls, was 0 for 3 from the field, had one turnover and one lane violation. Tavares pleased Hawks coaches and management with his play in the first two exhibitions.
In an intriguing matchup, the Spurs had their 7-3 center Boban Marjanovic in the game at the same time. Marjanovic went to Las Vegas Summer League with the Hawks two years ago.
Tavares had a better second half including a dunk on a Teague assist. He finished with seven points, three rebounds and five fouls in 18 minutes.
Battle for 15th spot
None of the players competing for the 15th roster spot played until the fourth quarter. Lamar Patterson was the first to enter, checking in with 8:23 to play. Patterson played the remainder of the game and finished with two rebounds.
Earl Barron played the final five minutes and Terran Petteway and DeQuan Jones played the final three minutes. Jones had a highlight-worthy dunk on a Petteway assist late in the game.
New court
The Hawks’ new court and color scheme were on display for the first time in an exhibition game. The new color scheme is bright and the feather pattern shows up well in the black surrounding the court and the red of the lanes. The court made its debut at the team’s open scrimmage earlier this month. An early unveiling was not possible because the court had to be repainted. It originally arrived with the incorrect colors.
