Hawks are eliminated from LVSL after 75-68 loss to Spurs

The Atlanta Hawks were eliminated from the Las Vegas Summer League Sunday night, as they fell to the San Antonio Spurs, 75-68.

The Hawks opened up the game with a commanding first quarter performance. Mike Muscala had five rebounds in the quarter, while teammates Edy Tavares, Lamar Patterson, and Brandon Ashley all scored four points apiece. Terran Petteway led all scorers with five points. The Hawks shot 43 percent from the floor, and finished the quarter with a 23-11 lead.

Glenn Robinson III came alive in the second quarter, totaling 10 points for the half, most of any Hawks player. He showed his explosiveness off an alley-oop, courtesy of Tomas Bellas. The Hawks gave up 20 free throws in the first half, but the Spurs made just nine of those, shooting a poor 45 percent from the line. Along with their struggles on the free throw line, the Spurs shot just 30 percent from the field for the half. Even with their shooting struggles, the Spurs were on par with the Hawks during the quarter, who led at the half 39-27.

The Spurs looked like a much different team in the third quarter. They put in a better effort on the defensive end, narrowing the gap on the rebound margin, as well as shooting much better. San Antonio was able to put together an 11-0 run in just under a two-minute span to take their first lead at 51-49. The Spurs outscored the Hawks in the third 28-12 to take a 55-51 lead heading into the fourth.

The Spurs kept the Hawks away in the fourth quarter, as the Hawks were unable to knock down open shots. After finding themselves down 69-60 with 4:39 left in the game, the Hawks were able to cut it down to a 70-66 game with 1:19 thanks to a Mike Muscala layup. But after a Jarrell Eddie missed three on the next possession, the Hawks were unable to capitalize, as Stephen Holt could not convert on his shot, and the Spurs were able to hold on from there, winning by a final of 75-68.

Kyle Anderson and Jonathan Simmons had 22 and 19 points respectively to lead the Spurs past the Hawks. Lamar Patterson led the Hawks with 16 points and seven rebounds. Mike Muscala finished with 13 points and eight rebounds. After his offensive tear in the second quarter, Glenn Robinson III was unable to get it going, and finished with 10 points.

After seeing bright spots from multiple prospects, it will be interesting to see who from this Summer League roster makes the Hawks roster. Many players showed flashes of great basketball, basketball that could be great in rotation for the Hawks. We will see moving forward whose performances were enough to impress Mike Budenholzer and his staff.