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DeMar DeRozan scored 23 points and the San Antonio Spurs capitalized on a dominant finish in the first half to beat Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks 125-114 on Friday night.
The Spurs opened a seven-game trip with 77 points in the first half. Keldon Johnson had 20 points and Dejounte Murray added 16. DeRozan had eight assists.
Young led the Hawks with 25 points. Young and other Atlanta starters were out for most of the second half after San Antonio extended their lead to 39.
San Antonio led the entire game and walked away with 16 straight points at the end of the first half. The Spurs outscored the Hawks 41-19 in the second quarter.
San Antonio led 57-44 before beginning the 16-0 streak. Murray hit a triple and a jump shot, and rookie Devin Vassell added a triple.
The Spurs led 77-48 at halftime after scoring the most points in any half this season. His previous record for first-half points was 66 in a 131-119 victory at Memphis on December 23.
The 77 points are the most allowed by Atlanta in the first half of this season.
The Spurs continued their hot shot to open the second half. A triple and another basket by Johnson extended the lead to 82-48.
After San Antonio took their big lead at 100-61 with 5:40 remaining in the third period, Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce called a timeout and knocked out all of their starters. The substitutes played the rest of the game.
Hawks rookie Skylar Mays took advantage of extended playing time to score 20 points, his first game with more than two points. Mays sank 4 of 5 from 3-point range.
The Spurs appeared to lose their shooting touch against the Atlanta substitutes. After making 65.5% of their shots from the field while building a 100-61 lead, the Spurs finished at 52.9% for the game.
TIPS
Spurs: Jakob Poeltl scored 14 points and 12 rebounds. … PG Derrick White (toe) scored 11 points after missing the second game of a back-to-back on Tuesday. White’s return as a starter pushed Vassell to the bench after his first career start. … F LaMarcus Aldridge (pain in right hip) missed his fifth straight game.
Hawks: Clint Capela scored 14 points and 11 rebounds for his 15th double-double of the season. He has 10 or more rebounds in 20 of 22 games. … After scoring a season-high 23 points in a 118-117 loss at Dallas on Wednesday night, Kevin Huerter made just two of eight shots for five points. … Rajon Rondo (back) missed his second game in a row.
UNTIL NEXT TIME
Spurs: Will continue their seven-game road trip Sunday in Charlotte.
Hawks: Complete a back-to-back at home against Indiana on Saturday night.
Image credits: AP
(Disclaimer: This story has not been edited by www.republicworld.com and is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)
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