Hawks vs. Spurs Live Notebook

Keep track of the most salient insights and observations from Tuesday night's game.

Coming off four days’ rest (a rarity in NBA life) the Hawks will be back in action Tuesday night as they host the San Antonio Spurs – a stylistic clash that will make for a fascinating strategic and aesthetic battle.

The Spurs have long been one of the most rigid groups in the NBA while Atlanta runs a faster, looser system. Those contrasting approaches, in themselves, are neither good nor bad; they’re merely stylistic differences borne of vastly different talent. In this case, however, San Antonio has a stronger command over its method than the Hawks do over theirs.

The Spurs have executed teams to death for two decades, using opponents’ mistakes against them while seldom making any of their own. By contrast, the young Hawks are only just learning what it takes to win consistently in the NBA. They are exactly the kind of team to which the Spurs just don’t lose. But on the right nights, they’re also the kind of team than can punch well above its weight.

Below are the most significant insights and observations – updated in real time – from the first of two games this season between these disparate squads.

Pregame

• Trae Young (right ankle sprain) will play tonight despite being listed as questionable entering the evening. He completed his usual warmup without any noticeable limp or excessive equipment and participated in Tuesday’s full-contact practice without restrictions.
The point guard is averaging 34 points, nine assists, and six rebounds in three games (not including the October 29 game in which he played just 11 minutes) while shooting 52 percent from 3-point range.

• Lloyd Pierce confirmed pregame that Jabari Parker will start in place of John Collins, who will begin a 25-game suspension tonight after testing positive for a banned growth hormone. Parker has gotten off to a strong start this season, averaging nearly 14 points and four rebounds on 63.6 percent true shooting. Vince Carter, De'Andre Hunter, and even Bruno Fernando could all spend time at backup power forward. 
• Pierce also said that Kevin Huerter's minutes limit has been increased to 30, while Hunter will be capped at 35 -- a mark he typically wouldn't reach under normal circumstances anyway. 
• It'll be the usual starters for Atlanta, only with Parker in Collins' place, against Dejounte Murray, Bryn Forbes, DeMar DeRozan, Trey Lyles, and LaMarcus Aldridge. The matchup to watch most closely is at point guard, where Trae Young will face his toughest challenge of the season in Murray -- an All-World defender with the length, quickness, and smarts to make Young's night difficult. It's likely that Young defends Forbes instead of Murray, putting Cam Reddish on Murray. 

First Quarter

• Creative set from Lloyd Pierce on Atlanta's first possession, wherein De'Andre Hunter brings the ball up and passes to Trae Young, who swings it to the corner before using a flare screen from Hunter at the top of the key. Dejounte Murray has it covered, but Young darts back around the pick and is fouled before he's able to step into an open 3. Out of the inbounds play Young draws two defenders, which leaves Jabari Parker wide open for a dunk. 
• Cam Reddish hits his first shot of the night -- a right-corner 3 -- a good sign given how poorly he has played on offense this year. 
• Young has been pretty pathetic on defense thus far. He allowed DeMar DeRozan to go right through him in the post, then simply forgets to pick up Bryn Forbes in transition (Forbes bailed him out by missing an open 3.) 
• A nice defensive sequence from Bruno Fernando causes LaMarcus Aldridge to lose the ball in the post. Trae Young picks it up and finds Jabari Parker for a transition dunk; Parker slams again on the next possession for his third dunk in eight minutes. Young follows it up with a mesmerizing look-away and pass to Fernando underneath. 
• For reasons unclear to me, Fernando exits after just three minutes of work, and the Hawks have just two points in the two minutes without Young on the court. 
• The Hawks get downhill a couple of times to put themselves back on top, 22-21, after 12 minutes. Neither team shot the ball well in the first quarter and both scored under 0.85 points per possession. Jabari Parker leads all scorers with eight points and Young has six early assists in just eight minutes. Patty Mills is 3-of-3 off the Spurs bench for seven points. 

Second Quarter

• Lazy defensive start to the second quarter for Atlanta, which seems to have affected its offense as well. Parker and Young in particular have been turnstile-esque, and while the Spurs have hit a few tough shots, they've generated far more easy ones. 
• Despite his six assists, Young is 0-for-6 from the field and the Hawks are just 2-of-11 on 3-pointers. Its 10-of-12 shooting at the rim has been the only effective part of Atlanta's offense. 
• Half of San Antonio's shots have come from the mid-range, though the Spurs are just 6-of-19 on those looks. They still lead 31-30 with seven minutes to play. 
• Young has drawn three fouls coming around screens, but he still has just one point on 0-of-8 from the floor. De'Andre Hunter has given the Hawks a lift on both ends, scoring nine points and playing solid defense on DeRozan. The rookie has stepped into all four of his 3-point attempts confidently and created much of his offense off the dribble. He just finished a driving layup through contact and will shoot a free throw on the other side of Gregg Popovich's timeout. Spurs lead 36-35. 
• Really nice quarter from Cam Reddish and De'Andre Hunter, the former of whom is playing easily his best offensive game as a pro. Reddish has been impressive creating space with a live dribble, moving fluidly through the San Antonio defense and playing under control with the ball in his hands. He's 2-of-2 from 3-point range and had a beautiful assists to Kevin Huerter on a one-handed, off-the-bounce backdoor pass. 
• Hunter struggled to finish around the rim in the second quarter (the Spurs tightened up their interior D late in the half), but has looked comfortable creating offense and attacking the rim. Defensively he's seldom been caught out of position against DeMar DeRozan, staying down on pump fakes and not lurching at crossovers. DeRozan is 5-of-9 for 10 points, but much of that damage came with Hunter on the bench. 
• Spurs lead, 45-44, after one half. 

Third Quarter

• Alex Len fumbles another pass early in the third -- his second drop of the game -- which leads to another empty Atlanta possession. Neither team can muster much offense right now; the Spurs are just edging the Hawks with a 90 offensive rating. This style and pace favors San Antonio. Look for the Hawks to try and speed the game up and get Trae Young going early in the half. 
• Gregg Popovich is livid with the officials after Dejounte Murray is whistled for a foul closing out on Young. It appeared that Murray closed out to the side of Young, who jumped laterally into him, which probably shouldn't be a foul on Murray. Either way, it's the guard's fourth personal and Derrick White checks in for him. 
• Cam Reddish hits another 3 on the move, this time from the left wing off a pass from Young, but the Hawks are having trouble creating offense right now and are down to just 92.6 points per possession. 
• Atlanta is trapping DeRozan high on the floor, and while that has been effective in forcing tough, looping passes, the Hawks have been slow getting back into position and allowed a few easy baskets for other Spurs. 
• San Antonio is being really physical with Young fighting over the top of ball screens. Young has managed to bait defenders into a few fouls, but the officials are allowing a good deal of contact. Despite what has felt like a big Spurs push in the third, the Hawks are still within five with under three to play after a couple of DeAndre' Bembry steals galvanize the second unit. 73-68 Spurs. 
• Parker powers his way to the rim for two to cut San Antonio's lead to eight heading into the fourth. He's up to 16 points on 8-of-12 shooting on the night. 
• The Hawks have dialed up their defensive pressure, employing traps and full-court presses against the Spur guards. They switched 1-through-5 on defense for a stretch and have managed to keep the game close with Young on the bench. He'll check back in to start the final period, and it will be interesting to see when (or if) he gets a rest in the fourth. Spurs lead 78-70 with 12 to play. 

Fourth Quarter

• Young and Hunter start the fourth with back-to-back 3s to cut the lead to two. Young follows it up with a left side triple that's waved off due to a foul by Murray on the screener, Bruno Fernando, so Young responds by drilling a 3 from the exact same spot after the inbound. Hawks lead 79-78. 
• Young, Parker, and Fernando head to the bench with 7:26 to play (Bembry, Vince Carter, and Damian Jones check in). I'd expect Young and Parker to re-enter around the five-minute mark. The interesting decision for Lloyd Pierce will be whether to keep a center on the floor -- Len and Jones have been fairly ineffective while Fernando has been passable -- or close with Parker at center and Carter or Hunter at power forward. 
  
• Meanwhile, on the court, Kevin Huerter picks off a pass for a breakaway dunk, and Carter nails a mid-ranger for an and-one on the following possession. Atlanta leads 91-87. 
• Young gets LaMarcus Aldridge on an island and absolutely torches him off the dribble before finding a cutting Bembry for a dunk. After a slow start Young has been electric in the fourth, and is up to 19 points and 12 assists for the game. 
• After Jones fouls Aldridge on the other end, Carter drains a stepback 3 on the next possession, giving Atlanta a 98-90 lead. (Carter's bucket was later changed to a 2-pointer. The Hawks lead 97-90.) 
• Nice, subtle move from Bruno Fernando (who checked in after Jones fouled out) as he fakes a handoff to Young on the right side, then delivers the ball on the left and nails Young's defender with a screen to free his point guard for a 3, which Young hits. Lloyd Pierce calls timeout with 3:36 to go. 100-93 Hawks. 
• Young hits a ridiculous 3 from the right corner with 1 on the shot clock to give the Hawks a 10-point lead. A Bryn Forbes layup later Young is intentionally fouled and hits both free throws. 108-98 Hawks. 
• Atlanta got sloppy in the final 30 seconds, but after a few more free throws the Hawks ice the victory, 108-100. 
• Final Stats: The game started ugly for both teams, but the Hawks finished with a respectable offensive rating of 108 while holding the Spurs under a point per possession. Despite turning it over on 18 percent of its possessions, Atlanta posted a team effective field goal percentage of 55.1 and rebounded 28 percent of their own misses -- enough to carry the offense through a few rough patches. 
• Perhaps the biggest difference in the game was the Hawks taking 37 percent of their shots at the rim and holding the Spurs to just 21 percent. That kept the game close, and a heroic surge from Young late was enough to put Atlanta over the top.