Good, bad, ugly: Hawks fall to Spurs, suffer second blowout in 4 games

The Spurs had more oomph, slipping behind Hawks defenders for quick dunks at the basket. The Spurs beat them on the fast breaks, going 11-of-17 on breakaways and leaving the Hawks chasing them.

“When you play a team and they’re playing at a very high level, and our margin for error is really small,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder said. “So we have to embrace a game plan just urgently and completely.”

Spurs center Victor Wembanyama wreaked havoc on the Hawks in the paint on both sides of the ball. He scored 26 points off the bench in 22 minutes, while 12 rebounds.

The good

The Hawks haven’t had many blowout losses this season, if fans ascribe to the internet’s definition of a blowout.

If losing by 20-plus points is the parameter for a blowout, the Hawks have just four in their first 29 games. If the differential is 15 or more, that number extends to six.

But Friday’s loss to the Spurs is just the fourth time this season the Hawks have allowed an opponent to outscore them by 20 or more points.

The bad

Unfortunately for the Hawks, Friday’s loss was their largest margin of defeat for the season. Just one night after allowing a season-high 24 3-pointers to the Hornets, the Hawks allowed the Spurs to surgically dismantle them.

The Spurs guards blew by the Hawks on the perimeter and left them chasing shooters. As soon as the Hawks recovered to contest a shot, the Spurs already had their next scoring option open for a shot at the rim.

“I think we were just a little a step slow,” Hawks guard Dyson Daniels said. “We gave up too many middle drives. Obviously, when they got Wemby down there, he’s a big focus for us, and other guys are getting in there, and we just got to be better at keeping guys out the paint, containing the ball. And, I thought they played fast. We turned the ball over a lot, so they got out in transition.”

The ugly

The Hawks couldn’t generate offense to counteract their defensive woes. They made just 38-of-94 overall shot attempts, their third-lowest field goal percentage. They also put their second-lowest 3-point shooting percentage.

With an elite defender like Wembanyama altering shots, the Hawks had to attack the rim with conviction to beat the 7-foot-4 center. But the Hawks did not rise to the level of physicality to do so.

“It’s a very physical group, particularly in the front end,” Snyder said. “They also have rim protection. I thought we have to break the pavement. You know, we have to get in the lane. We may not be able to get all the way to the rim, but when we don’t do that, whether it’s a turnover or shots that aren’t the best shots.”