Preview: San Antonio Spurs at Atlanta Hawks – Game #57
Malaki Branham should start again for the Spurs (Photo via Twitter)
The San Antonio Spurs are the owners of an 11-game losing streak. On the second night of a back-to-back, the Spurs will try to snap that streak in Atlanta against Dejounte Murray and the Hawks. The Spurs dropped to 14-42 on the season after a double-overtime loss to the Detroit Pistons last night.
The Hawks have a 28-28 record on the season, which is good enough for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. In their most recent game, Atlanta defeated the Phoenix Suns by a final score of 116-107. Trae Young led the way for the Hawks with 36 points and 12 assists on 10-for-18 shooting from the field, 5-for-8 shooting from three-point range and 11-for-12 shooting at the free throw line.
San Antonio Spurs Injury Update
Injuries aren’t quite as much of a problem as they were last night against the Pistons. Devin Vassell (knee) and Romeo Langford (adductor) remain out due to injuries. Charles Bassey and Khem Birch also remain unavailable.
Doug McDermott got hurt last night and he will miss the Hawks game due to right achilles soreness.
Thankfully, there is some good news. Keldon Johnson and Tre Jones aren’t on the injury report, which means they’ll be able to play for the Silver and Black tonight. Additionally, Jeremy Sochan has been upgraded to questionable for tonight’s game — so there’s a chance he could be back in action, too.
San Antonio Spurs Starting Lineup
We know that head coach Gregg Popovich will start Zach Collins at center and Keldon Johnson at small forward. At point guard, it’s very likely that Tre Jones will get the start. If Jeremy Sochan is healthy enough to play, he too is likely to start. If he can’t, expect Keita Bates-Diop to start in his place.
Who will start at shooting guard? The most likely option is Malaki Branham, who is coming off a career-high 27 points (see the Grades).
Dejounte Murray Faces Spurs for First Time
This is the first meeting of the season between the Spurs and the Hawks. That means this will be the first time Dejounte Murray faces the Spurs in his NBA career. Last offseason, the Spurs traded Murray to the Hawks for a collection of first round draft picks.
On the season, Murray is averaging 21.1 points, 6.2 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game, while shooting 46.4% from the field, 36.8% from three-point range and 83.2% at the free throw line. Per minute, his rate of scoring, assisting and rebounding are all down compared to his final season in San Antonio. Murray also made the All-Star team last season but wasn’t in contention to make it again this season.
Betting Guide: Spurs at Hawks
The Hawks are favored by 13 points and the over/under is 241 points. While the Spurs are playing on the second night of a back-to-back and have lost 11 straight, the smart money is on San Antonio. The 13-point spread is just too large for a .500 team like the Hawks. Plus, the Spurs should be motivated going against Dejounte Murray and they have some key players returning from injury.