Hawks rally past Spurs 123-116 in preseason game

Second-Half Surge Turns Tide

The Atlanta Hawks erased a big early deficit to beat the San Antonio Spurs 123-116 in a preseason game at Frost Bank Center on Thursday. San Antonio led by 19 after the first quarter, and Atlanta cut into that lead by winning the second quarter 42-30, but the Spurs still went to halftime ahead 69-62.

The Hawks won the third quarter 31-26 and the fourth 30-21 to pull away on the road.

Early Spurs Control

San Antonio jumped out to a 39-20 advantage after one quarter. Dylan Harper finished with 16 points and four assists for the Spurs, and Keldon Johnson led the team with seven rebounds.

Julian Champagnie scored 10 points for San Antonio, including a 3-pointer with 11 seconds left in the first half that restored a seven-point lead. Carter Bryant added 11 points off the bench.

Hawks Close Strong

Asa Newell matched Harper's 16 points for the Hawks, and Kingston Flemings added 15 points and five assists. Dyson Daniels controlled the glass with 11 rebounds. Atlanta held San Antonio to 21 points in the fourth quarter.

Newell put the Hawks ahead for good with an alley-oop layup at 110-109 with 5:49 left, then scored nine more points down the stretch, most of them at the free-throw line. The exhibition leaves Atlanta 1-1 in the preseason and San Antonio 0-1.

The game drew 18,354 fans.

Key Stat Lines

• San Antonio Spurs: Dylan Harper (16 points, 4 assists); Keldon Johnson (7 rebounds).
• Atlanta Hawks: Asa Newell (16 points); Kingston Flemings (15 points, 5 assists); Dyson Daniels (11 rebounds).

Sources

ESPN