SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Trae Young scored a season-high 45 points and drew a charge from Jeremy Sochan with 2.7 seconds left as the Atlanta Hawks handed the San Antonio Spurs their 13th straight loss with a 137-135 victory on Thursday night.
Sochan matched his career high with 33 points and Victor Wembanyama had 21 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks for San Antonio, but the Spurs remained without a win since November 2.
Atlanta guard Dejounte Murray had 24 points and five steals in his third game against his former team. Bogdan Bogdanovic added 14 points as Atlanta snapped a two-game skid.
Devin Vassell added 25 points and Keldon Johnson had 22. Sochan was 11 for 13 from the field but wouldn’t lead the Spurs to their first win since consecutive victories over Phoenix on October 31 and November 2
The Spurs dominated early behind Wembanyama, leading by as many as 15 points in the first half. San Antonio made its first six attempts in taking a 16-7 lead four minutes into the game.
Wembanyama scored eight points in that opening burst as he made his first four shots. He first bulled past Clint Capela for a layup and a foul and then drained a 3-pointer. Capela blocked Wembanyama’s next attempt to push past him, but the rookie regained possession and made a short jumper off the glass.
Wembanyama continued to wow on both ends, using his 8-foot wingspan to poke a pass across the lane midway through the second quarter. He then crossed over a defender in the lane to start a break. Wembanyama skipped a bounce pass to Johnson, who missed a layup that Wembanyama followed up with a two-handed slam for a 48-45 advantage.
The Hawks scored the first five points of the second half for a 67-66 lead, their first since holding a one-point edge midway through the second quarter.
Murray entered the game averaging 20.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists against the team that selected him with the 29th pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.
Doug McDermott missed the game due to an undisclosed illness. McDermott will have his jersey retired Saturday by Creighton University. McDermott was a three-time All-American while playing for the Blue Jays from 2010-14.
