The dominance continues.
The Hawks trailed the Spurs by as many as 28 points en route to a 103-78 loss Saturday night at Philips Arena. The Spurs have won 11 straight against the Hawks, making coach Mike Budenholzer 0-for-6 against his former team.
It was the Spurs who handed the Hawks a 30-point loss earlier this season. In this one, the Hawks finished with their lowest point total on the season – eight points fewer than the 86 they scored against the Raptors earlier this month.
The Hawks (14-11) have lost two straight.
The Spurs (20-5) have won two straight and 11 of their last 13.
Here are the key players and five observations on the game:
Three key players
Kawhi Leonard: He is now the Spurs' best player and he finished with 22 points and eight rebounds.
Manu Ginobili: The Spurs' super-sub came in and finished with 17 points of 5 of 7 shooting, including 3 of 3 from 3-point range.
Paul Millsap: The lone bright spot for the Hawks had 22 points and five rebounds.
Five observations
1. Such an ugly half
The Hawks’ dreadful first quarter turned into a debacle in the second quarter. The Hawks finished with just 25 first-half points after a 12-point quarter. The point total was the lowest for any half this season – by 12 points. The Hawks didn’t break the 20-point mark until Tiago Splitter dunked at the 5:55 mark. The Hawks went 4 of 18 in the second with five turnovers. For the half, the Hawks were 1 of 9 from 3-point range. The Spurs led 47-25 at intermission. It was only that close because of the Spurs’ 12 first-half turnovers. A chorus of boos could be heard as the Hawks left the floor.
2. Who played last night?
The Spurs were on the second night of a back-to-back that began with a game Friday night in San Antonio that tipped off at 9:30 p.m. Eastern. However, it was the Hawks that looked like they were in another time zone the night before. The Hawks were outscored 22-13 in the first quarter on 5 of 19 shooting with four turnovers. The point total was the second lowest for any quarter this season (for a while). The Hawks scored just 12 points in the second quarter of their 30-point loss at the Spurs last month.
3. The paint not a good place
The Hawks got into the paint. They just couldn’t score. They were 4 of 19 from the paint in the first half. The Hawks missed 11 shots from 3 feet or less in the opening two periods. They missed two more 3-footers in the third quarter.
4. Millsap needed help
Millsap was the one bright spot for the Hawks. He scored 17 of the Hawks’ 30 points in the third quarter. In fact, by the end of the period Millsap had 22 of the Hawks’ 55 points.
5. Too little, too late
The Hawks tried to make a run late in the game. They trailed by as many as 28 points in the third quarter. They made a 12-4 run to start the fourth quarter to get within 16 points. The Spurs answered, Leonard reeling off seven straight points, and the rout was back on.
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