Spurs Defense Clamps Up Hawks in Second Half of Comeback Win

The Atlanta Hawks raced out to a 24-point lead over the San Antonio Spurs. However, the Spurs came away with the win after a strong defensive showing in the second half.

Jeremy Brener | Mar 19, 2023

Spurs Defense Clamps Up Hawks in Second Half of Comeback Win /

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San Antonio Spurs

The San Antonio Spurs are buzzing after beating the Atlanta Hawks 126-118 Sunday afternoon at home.

It was a tale of two halves for the Spurs, especially on the defensive end. In the first half, the Spurs allowed 83 points, with 40 in the first and 43 in the second. In the second half, the team allowed just 35 points total, and just 15 in the final frame.

The Hawks led by as much as 24 points, but the Spurs were able to rally. After surrendering a 29-point lead on Friday night against the Memphis Grizzlies, the Spurs gave the Hawks a taste of their own medicine for the comeback win.

The key to San Antonio's comeback came from behind the three-point line, where the team made 14 of 28 threes, including five from Devin Vassell.

Keldon Johnson and Vassell each scored a game-high 29 points, while Zach Collins added 19. Former Spurs point guard Dejounte Murray scored 22 for the Hawks, but his All-Star teammate Trae Young struggled, managing just nine points on 4 of 15 shooting.

The Spurs are back out on the road Tuesday night to face the division rival New Orleans Pelicans. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

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Published Mar 19, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.