The San Antonio Spurs aim for a 17th consecutive home win over the Atlanta Hawks when the teams clash Wednesday. The Spurs have won seven straight and 15 of 16 overall in the series and haven't lost to the Hawks in San Antonio since Feb. 15, 1997. It's a homecoming for Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer, who was an assistant with the Spurs for 19 years before taking over in Atlanta last season.
The Hawks are aiming for their first road win of the season but are coming off a wire-to-wire 102-92 victory over Indiana. Conversely, the Spurs are 1-0 at home after a 101-100 win over Dallas on opening night but are looking to rebound from a 94-89 defeat at Phoenix last time out. Despite San Antonio's sluggish start, Atlanta views the early matchup as a valuable measuring stick. "They're the defending champs," Hawks center Al Horford told reporters. "We obviously still have a lot of things we need to work on, but it's a good test for us to see where we're at as a team.
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, SportSouth (Atlanta), FSN Southwest (San Antonio)
ABOUT THE HAWKS (1-1): Atlanta has been efficient at the offensive end, topping 100 points, 25 assists and 50 percent shooting in each of its first two games. All five starters and one reserve are averaging double-digit scoring with point guard Jeff Teague (22.5 points, seven assists) leading the way. The Hawks haven't defended the perimeter especially well, but they've been outstanding inside the arc, holding opponents to a league-low 42.5 percent on two-point attempts.
ABOUT THE SPURS (1-1): Despite returning 14 players — and all five starters — from last year's championship team, San Antonio has been less than impressive in its first two contests. Part of the problem has been a slow start at the offensive end from sharpshooter Danny Green and defensive whiz Kawhi Leonard, who was 0-for-5 from the field in his season debut against Phoenix. The veteran core of Tony Parker (21 points), Tim Duncan (15 points, 11 rebounds) and Manu Ginobili (11 points) has been solid, though, so the Spurs should be fine when their role players come around.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Spurs are 61-9 at home when Duncan, Parker and Ginobili each score 15 or more points.
2. Atlanta is shooting an NBA-best 47.6 percent from 3-point range, while San Antonio is fourth in the league at 41.5 percent.
3. Hawks SG Kyle Korver needs one 3-pointer to tie Mike Bibby (1,517) for 21st in NBA history and needs four points to reach 8,000 in his career.