Hawks at Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs continue winning despite a rash of injuries, going 10-1 in their past 11 games entering Monday’s home contest against the Atlanta Hawks, and are keeping the top spot in the Western Conference in their sights. The Spurs beat Golden State on Saturday to move within one-half game of the Warriors for first place in the West, despite not having Tony Parker, Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge – three of the team’s top four scorers – for the contest.
Parker (back stiffness) and Leonard (concussion) could return Monday, but Aldridge is out indefinitely after experiencing a minor heart arrhythmia. Atlanta has won three in a row following a three-game losing streak and beat Memphis 117-90 as rookie Taurean Prince scored a career-high 17 points on Saturday. The Hawks opted to rest Dwight Howard on the second night of a back-to-back and the move paid off, with Atlanta shooting 50 percent from the field in moving one game back of Toronto for fourth place in the East. Paul Millsap recorded his fifth double-double in the past 10 games and is averaging 21.3 points in seven games this month.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, TNT
ABOUT THE HAWKS (37-29): Tim Hardaway Jr. scored eight points off the bench Saturday, snapping a string of 20 consecutive games with 10-plus points, but has made at least one 3-pointer in a career-best 18 straight games. Howard ranks fourth in the NBA in rebounding (12.9) and field-goal percentage (64 percent) to go with 13.3 points per game. Dennis Schroder is averaging 20 points and six rebounds in his past 10 games while shooting 48.7 percent from the field.
ABOUT THE SPURS (51-14): The trio of Parker, Leonard and Aldridge combine to average 53.9 points for San Antonio, but Patty Mills led the way with 21 points in Saturday's victory over Golden State. Leonard is seventh in the NBA in scoring at 26.2 points and opened March with four consecutive 30-plus point performances. The Spurs are among the toughest defensive squads in the league, allowing just 98.3 points (second in the NBA) and 44.1 percent shooting from the field (third).
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Atlanta is 7-1 against the Southwest Division this season, including 4-0 on the road.
2. Six of the Spurs past 10 victories have come by seven points or less.
3. The Hawks knocked off San Antonio at home on New Year’s Day, 114-112 in overtime, as Hardaway hit a game-tying 3-pointer with three seconds left in regulation and Leonard missed a game-tying shot at the buzzer in overtime.