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The Atlanta Hawks wrapped up the preseason in style knocking off the defending champion San Antonio Spurs 117-107. The Spurs weren't at full strength but Atlanta put on a clinic over the second and third quarters and that has to be a big confidence boost heading into the regular season. Following the game, they drew praise from Gregg Popovich on the Hawks' progress in the second season under Mike Budenholzer.
"They're going to be a really good team, they're starting to buy into the system." - Coach Pop on the Hawks.
— Paul Garcia PS (@PaulGarciaPS) October 23, 2014
Paul Millsap bounced back in a big way after stinker against Detroit
After going 1-11 and 3-10 from the free throw line in a 104-100 loss to the Pistons, Paul Millsap snapped back into form quickly. MIllsap tallied 21 points and six rebounds in the overtime win over Charlotte on Monday and added 15 points and eight boards against the Spurs on Wednesday. He was a combined 9-18 from the field over those last two games and a sterling 18-20 from the free throw line. There might be some questions still remaining for the Hawks but it appears that Sap is ready to roll.
Mike Scott wrapped up solid preseason performance with perfect shooting night
The progress that Mike Scott has made in just two years has been amazing. He came to camp last year with an unguaranteed deal and was written off by many including this very author. Now he has emerged as one of, if not the most valuable element for Atlanta's bench. Scott has taken his game to another level during the preseason and capped things off nicely by going 8-8 from the field and finishing with 19 points against the Spurs.
How deep will the rotation go?
The preseason didn't offer a lot of clues about what Atlanta's rotation might look like next Wednesday when they open the regular season against the Toronto Raptors. As Hawks social media coordinator Jaryd Wilson pointed out on Twitter last night, Mike Budenholzer has gone with a 12 man rotation in each of the past two games. Its unlikely he goes that deep in the regular season but with a deep Atlanta roster, he will freely be available to mix and match as the situation calls for it.