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Spurs Length, Three-Point Shooting Cause Problems For The Hawks

The San Antonio Spurs snapped Atlanta's two-game winning streak Wednesday night by overpowering the Hawks on the boards and with a barrage of three-point baskets from the likes of Matt Bonner who was 5-7 from beyond-the-arc in the game. Hawks coach Larry Drew talked about the Hawks perimeter defense after the game:

"We had some defensive breakdowns to allow them to get some good looks at the 3. In most cases we do a pretty good job defending the 3. Time and time again we kept losing people. At the same time, you have to tip your hat to the Spurs for the things they ran and the things they exploited."

San Antonio was also able to beat the Hawks up on the boards thanks to their size up front. Tim Duncan and Tiago Splitter combined for 22 points and 19 rebounds as the Hawks struggled to match up. Zaza Pachulia did a good enough job on both but 6-foot-8 Ivan Johnson had a hard time contending with Splitter's length. Johnson battled hard but against teams with big frontlines like the Spurs it is going to be difficult for Johnson when he plays as the back-up center. Jason Collins was the Hawks only other option at center and didn't make an appearance in the game.

Photographs by coka_koehler used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.