Spurs Overcome Hawks 135-126 Behind Fox and Johnson's Strong Performances

De'Aaron Fox led the San Antonio Spurs with 26 points and Keldon Johnson contributed a season-high 25 points off the bench to help the Spurs secure a 135-126 win against the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday.

San Antonio held a commanding 19-point lead during the second quarter but entered the final period with just a three-point advantage. The Hawks briefly took the lead with 9:17 remaining following a layup by Nickeil Alexander-Walker. However, the Spurs responded strongly with a 10-0 run, culminating in a powerful dunk by Jeremy Sochan that pushed the score to 110-101.

David Jones Garcia extended the lead to 15 points with a dunk at the 5:03 mark of the fourth quarter, but Atlanta mounted a late rally, narrowing the gap to 11 points on another Alexander-Walker layup. Despite the push, the Hawks were unable to close the deficit to less than nine points the rest of the way, as San Antonio captured their third straight victory.

Other notable contributors for the Spurs included Julian Champagnie with 20 points, Harrison Barnes with 16, Devin Vassell scoring 15, and David Jones Garcia adding 12 points.

For the Hawks, Nickeil Alexander-Walker delivered a career-best 38 points in the team's second straight loss following a five-game winning streak. Jalen Johnson posted 26 points and a game-high 12 rebounds, Kristaps Porzingis scored 16 points, Onyeka Okongwu added 15, and Luke Kennard contributed 10 points.

The first quarter saw the teams exchange leads, with Atlanta holding an eight-point lead late before Fox hit a buzzer-beater jumper to bring the Spurs within 34-28 after the opening period.

San Antonio then dominated much of the second quarter, executing a 24-7 scoring run capped by a running layup from Jones Garcia which put them ahead 54-41 with 6:39 left in the half. The Spurs extended their lead to 19 points on a three-point play by Keldon Johnson with under two minutes remaining before taking a 74-60 lead into halftime.

During the second quarter, the Spurs shot an impressive 68.2%, with Johnson contributing 14 of his 18 first-half points. Fox tallied 12 points and Champagnie scored 10 in the half. On the Hawks side, Jalen Johnson led with 15 points, while Alexander-Walker chipped in 13 and Porzingis added 10.

Midway through the third quarter, Atlanta mounted a comeback, cutting the deficit to nine after an alley-oop dunk by Porzingis off a feed from Jalen Johnson. Consecutive three-pointers by Atlanta's Wallace late in the quarter leveled the game at 92-92. However, Champagnie responded with a three-pointer to put the Spurs ahead 95-92 entering the fourth quarter.