SAN ANTONIO —
Postgame
Dejounte Murray had one of the most impressive games of his career on Friday night, putting up numbers that nobody ever had before in his 11th triple double of the season.
Murray had 32 points, 15 assists 10 rebounds, 4 steals, and just a single turnover in the 136-121 victory, leading six Spurs in double figures as Keldon Johnson scored 26 points and Devin Vassell put up 20 in front of friends and family as the team's starter, presumably for a long time after the trade of Derrick White.
Recap
First Quarter
Devin Vassell made his first start of possibly many, and scored the first basket of the game. with a jumper in the paint. Vassell found McDermott at the top for three, then hit another mid-range shot.
Dejounte Murray scored at the line, then found Keldon Johnson for a baseline bucket. Murray hit a corner three, then dished to Keldon for another three. Keldon got it to McDermott for three, and after finding Jakob Poeltl for a layup he whipped it to Vassell for a three, making San Antonio 6-6 from deep.
Poeltl blocked a shot, then hit a pair of free throws, and San Antonio jumped out to a 16-point lead. Murray laced another three and got to the line again, pacing the Spurs with 11.
Rookie Josh Primo found Keldon for three, then took it to the basket through contact.
San Antonio led 43-29 after the first.
Second Quarter
Zach Collins found Tre Jones on a cut to the basket, then screened for Jones on a driving layup. The Hawks went on a 20-11 run with Dejounte Murray on the bench, trimming the 17-point gap to six.
Murray came back in, crossed over for a sick layup, and dropped three dimes to force a Hawks timeout with an 8-0 run.
Rookie Josh Primo got crossed by Trae, but swatted his layup attempt off the glass. Vassell hit a fader on the baseline, and the Spurs forced a pair of turnovers on the other end.
The Spurs cycled the ball and Zach Collins relocated to the corner for three, pushing San Antonio's advantage back to 17. Collins screened for Murray, who attacked and pushed his scoring total to 15.
San Antonio dodged a few bullets, but turned it over and gave up a dunk in transition. Primo hit a three, then missed his next, but Keldon connected from the corner on a feed from Poeltl.
With just two seconds left, Poeltl got the ball behind half court. He tossed something between a shot and a chest pass toward the basket, and miraculously, it didn't touch anything but the net. It was Poeltl's first three of the season, the second of his career, and San Antonio's 12th make in 17 tries in the half.
San Antonio held a 17-point lead at the break.
Third Quarter
Murray got it to Devin Vassell for a wide-open three, then passed it up court to Keldon for free throws. Murray got to the line himself, pushing the lead to 22.
Murray stole a Trae Young pass and got it ahead to Devin, who got it right back from Keldon and soared in for a jam. DJ pulled up from the free throw line and swished it, then drove to the rim for 21 points.
Pop called time when Trae Young hit a three to cut it to 21. Murray drove baseline and dished to McDermott, who floated it in. DJ got the board and pushed up court, bouncing it to KJ on a cut for free throws. Murray passed to McDermott on a cut for another dime.
Primo grabbed a loose ball and looked away on a dump-off pass to Murray, who put the dunk in dunker spot and slapped backboard on the and-1.
Lonnie Walker IV got to the line and hit, but turned it over between a pair of threes by Atlanta to cut it to 17, forcing a Pop timeout.
Bogdonavic hit another three, and Lonnie clanged his response. Trae hit a baseline jumper, the Spurs turned it over, and it was an 11-0 run to cut it to 12.
Murray found Primo for a cutting layup, then came back and hit a mid-range jumper after turning it over for just the first time in the game. Poeltl blocked a shot and got the board, and Murray got to the line again.
San Antonio led 103-87 with 12 minutes to play.
Fourth Quarter
Keldon Johnson hesitated at the arc after a pass from Primo, then drained a three.
Vassell drove, spin, stepped back, and drained a jumper from the elbow. On the other end, he smashed a block.
Poeltl got a free throw, making it all starters in double figures. Tre Jones grabbed a loose ball and eurostepped for a layup to put the Spurs up 19 with 8:50 to play.
Jones passed to Poeltl for a hook, then Keldon for a fading corner three. Murray passed to Vassell for a cocked-back dunk, then faded in the paint to make it 30 points.
Keldon hit a three on a feed from Primo, making him 6-8 from deep. Murray got his fourth steal of the game, and drove in for an easy dunk. DJ grabbed a steal and finished an easy shot, heading to the bench with 32 points, 15 assists, 10 rebounds, 4 steals, and just a single turnover.
Primo drilled a triple at the start of garbage time. Atlanta went on a 10-0 run before the next three by Primo, but it was far too late.
Pregame
The San Antonio Spurs (20-35) will continue their 2022 Rodeo Road Trip tonight as they visit the Atlanta Hawks (26-28). The Spurs are 0-1 on the Rodeo Trip.
It will be San Antonio's first game after dealing Derrick White, Thad Young and Drew Eubanks at the trade deadline, and Devin Vassell will enter the starting lineup in his Atlanta homecoming game.
In their previous game, San Antonio lost to the Cavaliers, 105-92.
Keldon Johnson led the team with 18 points. Devin Vassell also had 18 points and Jakob Poeltl had seven points and 11 rebounds. Dejounte Murray ended the night with 16 points and nine assists.
Here are five things to watch for in tonight's game:
1. The Hawks are on a 2-game home winning streak.
2. The Hawks are 23-6 when leading after the third period this season.
3. The Hawks have connected on 10-or-more three-pointers in 13 consecutive home games.
4. Atlanta's John Collins has scored 20-or-more points in three straight games and five of his last seven.
5. The Spurs are averaging 41.8 rebounds per game in February. Lowest rebounding average this season.
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Twitter: @KENS5, @JeffGSpursKENS5