DeMar DeRozan Outduels Trae Young as Spurs Beat Hawks
The San Antonio Spurs prevailed over the Atlanta Hawks 117-111 at AT&T Center in San Antonio on Tuesday night.
Spurs shooting guard DeMar DeRozan led all scorers with 29 points.
Hawks rookie sensation Trae Young scored a relatively modest 15 points and dished six assists, while guard Kent Bazemore led the Hawks with 26 points and five three-pointers off the bench.
The win bumps the Spurs to 45-33, keeping pace with the Oklahoma City Thunder (45-33) for seventh place in the Western Conference. Both teams have already clinched playoff berths, so the remaining four regular-season games are strictly about jockeying for position.
Spurs' Defensive Woes Will Doom Them to Early Playoff Exit
It took until the waning minutes of the fourth quarter for the Spurs to pull away and secure the win over the Hawks. And while Atlanta has recently pulled out wins against the NBA-best Milwaukee Bucks and 49-28 Philadelphia 76ers, this is part of a larger and more troubling trend for San Antonio.
The Hawks' 111 points mark the sixth time in the last seven games the Spurs have given up at least 110 points. In those games, San Antonio is an indistinguishable 3-4.
Head coach Gregg Popovich met with reporters following Tuesday night's win and minced no words about the difference it makes when his team is playing solid defense. "More than anything, they got 21 points in the fourth quarter," Popovich told reporters. "Stops win basketball games."
Popovich also remarked that, typically, when the Spurs have lost games like the one they squeaked out against Atlanta, it's because "we don't make stops, especially in the fourth quarter."
However, bigger picture, the Spurs' defensive rating ranks 21st in the NBA. For context, the Spurs defense has not ranked outside of the top four since the 2011-12 season when it was at No. 11. The team has not been this poor defensively since Popovich's first year as head coach in 1996-97; the Spurs were dead-last.
When the Spurs rattled off an 11-5 December, Popovich credited his defense. Pop then lamented San Antonio's defense on Feb. 24 to reporters, calling the team's 130-118 loss to the New York Knicks "a pathetic performance defensively."
When the Spurs win, the defense is credited. When the Spurs lose, the defense is blamed.
With four games remaining in the regular season, the Spurs are slated to play either the Golden State Warriors or Denver Nuggets in the first round.
The Warriors have the most efficient offense in the league, while the Nuggets sit respectfully at sixth, both primed to exploit the Spurs' most blatant and recurring liability.
What's Next?
The Spurs have a quick turnaround, traveling to Denver to play the Nuggets on Wednesday night. The Hawks will also be in action Wednesday night as they return home to host the Philadelphia 76ers.
Advanced stats courtesy of NBA.com.
