San Antonio Spurs to work on being a ‘collective’ against Atlanta Hawks
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Keldon Johnson of the San Antonio Spurs reacting as he leaves the court after Spurs defeated Memphis Grizzlies at Frost Bank Center on Nov 18.
PHOTO: AFP
SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Spurs have been showcasing their depth and can continue to do so as they finish a five-game homestand against the Atlanta Hawks on Nov 20 (Nov 21, Singapore time).
The Spurs have won two straight National Basketball Association (NBA) games, both without star centre Victor Wembanyama, who is out with a calf injury.
They leaned on strength in numbers to beat the Memphis Grizzlies 111-101 on Nov 18, as guard De’Aaron Fox scored 26 points and forward Harrison Barnes added 23.
“We were trying, I think, for the most part, but we got a little outside of ourselves just with our discipline,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. “In the fourth quarter, we had a really solid, disciplined defensive team effort that felt more connected than it did in the third quarter.”
Besides Fox and Barnes, Keldon Johnson contributed 18 points while Devin Vassell and Kelly Olynyk scored 10 points each in the win. The Spurs were also without guard Stephon Castle (hip), who is expected to miss another week, along with 2.24m Frenchman Wembanyama.
“One thing we’re focusing on is just trying to move the basketball, do it as a collective, see what happens, see who gets a shot,” Barnes said. “It is just doing that as a collective and just trying to figure out ways, with these different line-ups, of how we’re going to win.”
The Nov 20 home game is the last for the Spurs (10-4) before a stretch that has them playing seven of eight on the road.
The Hawks (9-6) enter the game after a 120-112 loss at home to the Detroit Pistons two days earlier that snapped a five-game winning streak.
“This group is still learning to mesh together and execute late,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder said. “We will keep working on those things, just some of the nuances we need to get better at.”
Atlanta played without centre Kristaps Porzingis, who missed his third game because of right knee soreness. Forward Zaccharie Risacher is sidelined due to a left hip bruise. Their availability for the Nov 20 game is to be determined.
The Hawks arrive in San Antonio on a four-game road winning streak but star guard Trae Young remains out as he recovers from a sprained knee.
The game is the first of two between the teams this season, with the follow-up on Dec 19 in Atlanta. The Spurs swept the two-game season series in 2024-25.
Meanwhile in NBA action on Nov 19, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 33 points to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 113-99 home win over the Sacramento Kings, as the champions improved to 15-1.
The reigning Most Valuable Player and Finals MVP scored 30 or more points for the 13th time this season and finished with eight rebounds.
Elsewhere, Norman Powell led a late charge to cap a 25-point night, Bam Adebayo returned from a six-game absence to contribute 20 points and the Miami Heat took advantage of a road-weary and short-handed Golden State Warriors club to pull out a 110-96 home victory.
Alperen Sengun scored 28 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, and Kevin Durant had 20 points to lead the visiting Houston Rockets to a 114-104 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Bennedict Mathurin posted 24 points and 12 rebounds, as the Indiana Pacers snapped an eight-game losing streak with a 127-118 win over the Charlotte Hornets in Indianapolis. REUTERS, AFP