And thirteen! The Spurs didn’t get far this time but they are well on their way to 13 consecutive defeats after crossing paths with Atlanta, led by a sparkling Trae Young in the second half to force the decision in favor of the Georgia franchise .
The Spurs had gotten off to the best start, driven by an enterprising Victor Wembanyama, but also a thunderous 3 out of 3 from distance from Julian Champagnie. Thanks to an 11-2, Coach Pop’s young troops take a 15-point lead (35-20). But the Hawks quickly rectified the situation, between Onyeka Onkongwu’s 3-pointer and Trae Young’s baskets at the end of the first quarter to reduce the gap to -9 (35-26), or in the second quarter – time much better controlled, under the leadership of Bogdan Bogdanovic but also thanks to the external skill of Dejounte Murray, Wes Matthews, De’Andre Hunter and Saddiq Bey, who scored twice, just before the break (66-62 ).
Spurs yo-yo
Returning from the locker room, all the energy of “Wemby” and that of Jeremy Sochan once again allowed Spurs to briefly regain the upper hand. Once again, their good work was enhanced by 3-pointers from Julian Champagnie and Devin Vassell twice. The latter even increased his team’s lead to +12 after an acrobatic 2+1 concluded near the circle (98-86).
But here again, the euphoria was short-lived, since after another 3-pointer from Saddiq Bey, it was Trae Young who took the end of the third quarter on his own, scoring 12 points in less than two minutes ! The Hawks’ will-o’-the-wisp made a string of exceptional baskets, ending its festival with a floater that hit the ceiling of the Frost Bank Center to avoid Wemby’s counter and bring its team back to -4 two tenths from the buzzer (104 -101).
Victor Wembanyama as well as the Champagnie-Vassell pair at 3-points tried everything to delay the deadline, but Atlanta no longer let go of their prey, ending up with an 11-0 concluded by a clinical Dejounte Murray, of which the Spurs did not were unable to get up (117-121). Despite all the good will of Jeremy Sochan, it was Dejounte Murray who had the last word, with a precious 3-pointer to answer Devin Vassell at a key moment in the “money-time” (126-130). Trae Young then finished the job accurately, scoring his team’s last seven points to ensure a short but precious success (137-135).
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– A sad career record for Jeremy Sochan. The Spurs sophomore played hard all game and was rewarded with a new career high with 33 points. Aggressive until the end, he won his new record with a 3-pointer that brought his team to -3 with 18 seconds remaining (133-136). He could even have been the hero of the match a few moments later, when he stole the ball on a throw-in and offered himself a chance to equalize at 137-137. But, caught in his momentum, he collided with Trae Young and was called for an offensive foul. Did Trae Young have both heels firmly on the ground in front of the arc? Not really, but Sochan came flying and swung the leader, which was enough for the referees to rule in favor of Atlanta. Jeremy Sochan will therefore have to be content with a new career record, but without victory at the end.
– Elusive Trae Young. What a game from the Hawks leader! The impression of seeing him gain momentum from the end of the first half to end the game being untouchable. The leader made everyone dizzy, including Victor Wembanyama, whom he challenged several times, even after eating a scotch at the start of the game. He then found the loophole off the screen to punish or find a teammate in a favorable position. In a less flashy register, he also knew how to do what he mastered by causing fouls to benefit from 16 passes on the throwing line. In the end, his stats line is exceptional, with 45 points on 15/29 shooting but also 14 assists.
– An 11-0 to swing the match. The Spurs held on for a long time thanks to their Vassell-Johnson-Sochan-Wembanyama quartet and were still 7 lengths ahead with just over eight minutes remaining (117-110). Until Atlanta ended up wearing out Gregg Popovich’s young troops. During this period, San Antonio notably multiplied its youthful mistakes. There was Julian Champagnie’s bad pass intercepted by Bogdan Bogdanovic, a 3-point rush for the Champagnie-Wembanyama tandem, an offensive foul by Zach Collins. But we will especially remember this alley-oop missed by Keldon Johnson at 117-114 which had irreversible consequences. In the process, De’Andre Hunter was quick to equalize at 117-117 with a 3-pointer at the head of the racket, before seeing Dejounte Murray score two decisive baskets then a 3-pointer which just as summer…
– Good Victor but no victory. Despite a painful hip, “Wemby” held his place and did a rather good job, especially at the start of the game, where he started on a 2+1 (and a walk not whistled) in front of Clint Capela for whom he made life difficult. A good match from him overall even if he missed everything in the “money-time” scoring. It was he who had the ball for the equalizer at 3 points when the score was 136-133. Without success, that is to say.
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
