Hawks vs Spurs preview: Atlanta begins two-game trip in San Antonio against defending champs

The Atlanta Hawks open a brief two-game road trip Wednesday night in San Antonio against the defending champion Spurs. The Hawks are looking for their second straight win after Saturday's 102-92 win over the Indiana Pacers in the team's home opener at Philips Arena.

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Historically, the AT&T Center in San Antonio has been a house of horrors for Atlanta. The Hawks captured their first ever victory there during the preseason when they defeated the Spurs 117-107. This will be a much different looking San Antonio team in a regular season setting as they get back a few key pieces to their lineup. Kawhi Leonard returned from an eye infection last week and Tiago Splitter will make his season debut in Wednesday's game. Splitter missed most of the preseason with a foot injury.

The Hawks come into the game relatively healthy although they will be without rookie Adriean Payne who remains out due to plantar fasciitis in his left foot. The Hawks insist that Payne's injury isn't serious and he remains day-to-day. Kyle Korver sat out Monday's practice with an undisclosed illness but he was back on the court on Tuesday and is expected to play.

This matchup is always a fun one given the similarities in style. One matchup to focus on is at the point guard where Jeff Teague is off to a good start for the Hawks but has his work cut out for him against San Antonio's Tony Parker. Teague just missed out on a Player of the Week recognition and is averaging a team-best 22.5 points to go along with seven assists, 3.5 rebounds and three steals per game. Parker is off to an equally good start averaging 20.7 points per game in San Antonio's two games while shooting 55 percent from the floor.

An area of concern for Atlanta is rebounding as Atlanta has struggled during their first two games to keep opponents off of the offensive glass. Atlanta is currently 24th in the league overall in rebounding at 39.5 per game. San Antonio is a few spots ahead and tied for 20th in the league at 41.5. The Hawks are dead last in the league in offensive rebounds while the Spurs are 29th.

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Wednesday, November 5, 8:30 p.m.

Location: AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas

TV: SportSouth

Radio: 92.9 "The Game" FM