Atlanta Hawks fall 0-2 at Las Vegas Summer League with 79-76 loss to San Antonio

After losing their opener to the Washington Wizards on Friday night, the Atlanta Hawks entered tonight’s game against San Antonio looking for their first win of the summer. The Spurs would also be without fourth overall pick Stephon Castle in that game.

But it didn’t matter. Both teams struggled on offense, and despite EJ Liddell coming off the bench for 22 points, the Hawks lost 79-76. It wasn’t a great offensive performance for first-round pick Zaccharie Risacher, but he wasn’t alone. The Hawks shot 35 percent from the field and 24 percent from three-point range in the loss. Worse yet, Nikola Durisic, the Hawks’ second-round pick this year, injured his left foot in the first half of the game and was seen in a walking boot in the second half. Keep an eye on his condition going forward.

Aside from Liddell and Rob Baker (13 points, six rebounds), there wasn’t much to like about this Hawks game. Risacher showed his intangibles once again and always seemed to have a good feel for the game, but he shot 4-12 from the field and 1-7 from three-point range. It was a tough shooting night for the No. 1 overall pick. Mo Gueye also didn’t shoot well from the field, but he was solid defensively.

Atlanta is now 0-2 in Summer League and will have a chance to get their first win on Wednesday night when they face Bronny James and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Let’s recap tonight’s game in Vegas.

The Hawks kept the same starting lineup they used Friday night against Washington.

G- Nikola Djurisic

G- Zaccharie Risacher

F-Dyland Windler

F- Mouhamed Gueye

C-Rob Baker

The Hawks got off to a sloppy start. They turned the ball over on their first three possessions, including a shot clock violation on the very first possession, and then Windler got the Hawks on the board with a three-pointer. One of the stars of Friday night’s game against the Wizards was guard Keaton Wallace, and he was the first substitute of the game tonight. He scored a basket right off the bat to give the Hawks a 9-7 lead with 5:34 left in the first quarter. San Antonio responded with a 12-1 run to open up a 19-10 lead.

The Hawks’ offense was tough to guard on Friday and the first quarter was no different. However, Atlanta ended the quarter on a 7-0 run, helped by another three-pointer from Windler and two big baskets from EJ Liddell as a substitute. San Antonio led 21-17 after the first quarter. Atlanta shot 35% from the field in the first quarter and 20% from three-point range. The Spurs shot 37% from the field and 27% from three-point range. Risacher was 0-2 from the field and did not score.

The second quarter saw the Hawks’ offense pick up a bit and Risacher made his first basket of the game. Risacher came off a screen to make a three-pointer and then lobbed a pass to Rob Baker. Jarkel Joiner, who had been impressive Friday, came off the bench to get an and-one right away to give the Hawks a 33-31 lead with 4:20 left in the quarter.

At halftime, the Hawks went into the locker room with a 37-36 lead. They had a better second quarter offensively, but still had poor shooting numbers overall. Atlanta shot 40 percent from the field and 28 percent from three-point range in the first half while San Antonio shot 35 percent from the field and 18 percent from three-point range. Gueye led the way for the Hawks with eight points and Risacher and Liddell each scored seven.

The worst moment of the first half for the Hawks was Nikola Durisic’s injury. Durisic went into the locker room in the first half with a left foot injury and was sidelined for the remainder of the game. Wallace started in place of Durisic in the second half.

The third quarter was a close quarter between the two teams and the theme of both offenses struggling continued. San Antonio won the quarter by a score of 20-18 and ended the quarter taking the lead by hitting a buzzer-beater to go into the final quarter with the advantage. The highlight of the quarter for the Hawks was the play of backup guard Jarkel Joiner, who played tough defense and made disruptive plays. Rob Baker was another player who had a solid game and led the Hawks in scoring heading into the fourth quarter.

It was in the fourth quarter that Liddell took over and really put the Hawks on his back. With 5:24 left in the game, Atlanta led the Spurs by a slim 62-61 margin. As I said earlier, Liddell and Baker were the best players in this game for the Hawks and are players to watch for the rest of the game, especially Liddell, who should be a contender for a roster spot this season.

The Spurs were the team that finished the game strong, despite a turbulent final minute. Keaton Wallace hit a three-pointer to cut the deficit with 18.6 seconds left. A few possessions later, the Hawks tried a desperate three-pointer and it failed, but Risacher missed the shot and put it in the basket and was fouled. There was no time, however, and the game was all but over. San Antonio won the game 79-76 and improved to 2-0 in Summer League play while the Hawks are now 0-2.

Atlanta will return to the court Wednesday night at 9:30 p.m. EST and face the Lakers.