Spurs 108, Hawks 88
SAN ANTONIO -- Forward Kawhi Leonard poured in 22 points and six San Antonio players scored in double-figures as the Spurs waylaid the Atlanta Hawks 108-88 on Saturday to win their fifth consecutive game and remain undefeated at home.
Leonard, who did most of his damage with 15 points in the first half, led the Spurs in scoring for the sixth straight game. San Antonio (14-3) is 9-0 at the AT&T Center this season and has won 11 of its past 12 contests overall.
Forward LaMarcus Aldridge and reserve guard Patty Mills added 13 points apiece for San Antonio, while reserve guard Manu Ginobili scored 12 points, guard Tony Parker hit for 11 points and forward Tim Duncan tallied 10 points and grabbed a season-high 18 rebounds for the Spurs, who are entrenched atop the NBA Western Conference's Southwest Division.
Atlanta (11-8) was led by reserve forward Mike Scott's 12 points. Reserve guard Kent Bazemore added 11 points and forward/center Al Horford hit for 10 points for the Hawks. The Spurs' starters outscored the Hawks' starting five 61-38.
The Spurs led 19-12 after Aldridge's offensive rebound and tip-in with 2:56 remaining in the first quarter. But Atlanta responded by ending the quarter on a 13-4 run culminated by reserve guard Dennis Schroder's contested 18-foot jumper that granted the Hawks a 25-23 advantage at the end of one quarter.
Atlanta pushed its lead to 30-25 on a 3-pointer from reserve guard/forward Lamar Patterson before the Spurs, most notably Ginobili, took command. Ginobili scored all eight of his first-half points in a 4:02 stretch that helped San Antonio move to a 41-32 advantage that grew to 54-37 by halftime. The Spurs outscored Atlanta 31-12 in the second quarter.
Parker (with seven points) and Leonard were the chief catalysts behind a push that drove San Antonio's lead to 74-48 at the 4:56 mark of the third quarter and took most of the question out of the game with a quarter and a half still to play.
The Spurs led 80-59 at the end of the period, and with the majority of the players in their third game in four days, both teams relied mostly on its bench in the final quarter.
NOTES: Spurs F Tim Duncan (rest) and Manu Ginobili (rest) did not accompany the team to Denver for a 91-80 win over the Nuggets on Friday. But both were in the lineup vs. the Hawks. ... Spurs F Kawhi Leonard is averaging a career-best 22 points in his fifth NBA season and has scored at least 20 in 10 of his 15 games. Leonard ranks in the NBA’s top 10 in steals per game (.87) and 3-point percentage (.468). ... San Antonio C Boban Marjanovic, a rookie from Serbia, registered his first career start Friday. ... The Spurs were 2-0 against Atlanta last year and had won nine straight against the Hawks entering Saturday. ... Atlanta coach Mike Budenholzer spent 19 seasons with the Spurs. ... Former Spurs C Tiago Splitter, who signed with the Hawks in the offseason, was inactive with a hip injury.