The drought continues.
The Hawks lost their 19th straight game in San Antonio as the Spurs recorded a 107-99 victory in a nationally televised game Monday at AT&T Center.
The Hawks trailed by as many as 15 points before a late charge made came up short for a narrow defeat in Texas for the fourth time in the past five seasons.
It was still a defeat.
The Hawks haven’t won in San Antonio since 1997.
The loss split the season series between the teams after the Hawks won at home in January to snap an 11-game overall losing streak to the Spurs.
The Hawks (37-30) had a three-game win streak snapped. They fell two games behind the Raptors for fourth in the Eastern Conference.
The Hawks pulled to within a point, 86-85, on a Taurean Prince basket with 8:06 remaining. They had a chance to take the lead on the ensuing possession but Prince was called for a charge. It was the start of several empty possessions then enabled the Spurs to regain separation. The Spurs went on a 14-6 run, with four 3-pointers, to take a nine-point lead at 100-91.
Dennis Schroder led the Hawks with 22 points and nine assists. Tim Hardaway Jr. added 17 points and Paul Millsap added 16 points.
The Spurs (52-14) have won two straight and 11 of the past 12 games. The played without starters LaMarcus Aldridge and Tony Parker. However, they got back Kawhi Leonard after the All-Star and MVP candidate missed one game and cleared concussion protocol. Leonard finished with a game high 31 points. Patty Mills had 15 points and nine assists.
The Spurs led by as many as 14 points in the first half and took a 54-43 advantage into intermission.
The Hawks led 8-2 early but trailed 28-18 after the first quarter. The Spurs pushed their lead as the Hawks continued to struggle mightily from the floor. They went 9:28 without a field goal. Despite the shooting woes, the Hawks trailed by eight points, 41-33, midway through the quarter. The Spurs got 3-pointers from Leonard and Pau Gasol to push their lead to 14 points.
The Hawks used a 19-7 run to close within three points, 74-71, with two minutes in the third quarter. The Spurs took an 81-73 advantage headed into the fourth quarter with a 7-2 run.
The Hawks made another run early in the fourth quarter could never get all the way back from a double-digit deficit much of the game.
About the Author
