Spurs at Hawks
THE STORY: The San Antonio Spurs have ended their longest losing streak in 14 years and look to make it back-to-back victories when they visit the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday. San Antonio defeated the Phoenix Suns on Sunday to snap a six-game losing streak that was the franchise’s longest since losing the final six games of the 1996-97 season. The Spurs still possess the NBA’s best record despite the slump but would like to turn things around and regain momentum heading into the playoffs. Atlanta had won four straight games until losing to the Houston Rockets on Sunday. The Hawks are fifth in the Eastern Conference and appear headed for a first-round playoff matchup with the Orlando Magic.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSSW.
ABOUT THE HAWKS (44-33): Atlanta’s defense was shaky during a 114-109 loss to Houston on Sunday after holding four consecutive opponents to 87 or fewer points. The Rockets shot 57.3 percent from the field, the highest percentage against the Hawks all season. Joe Johnson led Atlanta with 25 points and Josh Smith had 21 points and 11 rebounds for his 31st double-double of the season. The Hawks are 24-15 at home. After playing San Antonio, the Hawks finish the regular season with three of their final four games on the road. The lone home contest is against the Miami Heat on April 11.
ABOUT THE SPURS (58-19): Perhaps the most unique part of San Antonio’s 114-97 victory over the Suns was the bench scoring 73 points while top three players Tim Duncan (eight points), Tony Parker (seven points) and Manu Ginobili (six points) combined for just 21. George Hill scored 29 points, Matt Bonner had his first double-double of the season with 16 points and 11 rebounds and Gary Neal scored 15 points. Richard Jefferson was the only starter to score in double figures. Jefferson had 12 points and was 4-for-4 from 3-point range. The Spurs made 15 3-pointers against Phoenix. San Antonio has lost four straight road games since beating the Dallas Mavericks on March 18.
WHO'S HOT/WHO’S NOT: Johnson is averaging 20.7 points over the last three games. Neal has made 17 3-pointers while averaging 14.3 points over the last seven contests. Atlanta guard Kirk Hinrich is averaging just five points and shooting 30 percent over the last three outings. Ginobili is averaging just 12.7 points and shooting 36.8 percent over the last three games.
KEY STATISTIC: The Spurs averaged 114 points in their last two games after averaging 97.3 over their previous four outings. Atlanta gave up 114 points in its last contest after allowing an average of 83.8 over its previous four contests.
SEASON SERIES: San Antonio registered a 108-92 home win over Atlanta on Dec. 10. The Spurs have won eight of the last nine meetings.
KEY INJURIES: SAN ANTONIO: None. ATLANTA: F Josh Smith (knee).
LAST WORD: “We never lost confidence. I think overall the whole season we’ve been playing great. We had some tough games on the road but at the same time you just have to forget it and focus on the next one.” – San Antonio guard Tony Parker after the Spurs ended a six-game losing streak by beating Phoenix on Sunday.