The San Antonio Spurs opened up their annual “Rodeo Road Trip” with a dominating 125-114 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night. While the final score was close, the game was not as the Spurs lead by as many as 42 points at one point.
San Antonio had seven players in double figures, led by DeMar DeRozan’s 23 points on 63 percent shooting from the floor. Keldon Johnson added 20 points and Dejounte Murray added 16. Jakob Poeltl posted a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds.
“We just wanted to come out and make our stamp on the game early,” Spurs guard Derrick White said. “This is a huge seven games. … It’s a good start for us.”
White got the start and posted 11 points and four assists.
The Spurs shot 12-for-31 from three-point range while Atlanta went 11-for-32.
Atlanta (11-14) was led by Trae Young’s 25 points while Clint Capela was the only other member of the Hawks in double figures with 14 points and 11 rebounds. The Hawks role players struggled from the opening tip, a credit to the San Antonio defense, who outscored the Hawks 41-19 in the second period.
“Our starters weren’t very good,” Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce said. “They weren’t good at all. Our second unit did a good job of making the night somewhat decent.”
The Spurs used a 16-0 run while leading 55-41 to pull away for good, scoring a season-high 77 points in the first half. Their previous high in a half was 66 points in a road win against the Memphis Grizzlies on December 23.
UP NEXT:
The Spurs are now 15-11 on the season and will return to the court on Sunday night when they face the Charlotte Hornets (13-14) at 6:30 p.m.
