Photo: iHeartMedia
The Spurs defeated the Hawks 126-118. Keldon Johnson and Devon Vassell each had 29 points to lead the team. The Spurs are now 19 and 52 on the season.
POSTGAME REAX:
Spurs Head Coach Gregg Popovich
(On Devin Vassell getting rhythm back…)
“He’s pretty much shed the rust. It’s been a little each game. It was slow in the very beginning, but now his confidence is there also. He feels like where he was before. But we got good games out of a lot of guys tonight, and that's what it takes to win in the NBA. It can't be one guy. Very pleased with the boys. Happy for them.”
(On Zach Collins defensively down the stretch…)
“He's one of the best verticality guys in the league. He does that often. Now we got to get him to stop at the other end when he gets that pass in the middle, keep his balance and hit it. But on defense, he's been fantastic.”
Spurs Forward Keldon Johnson
(On how much this win means to the team…)
“Definitely big. There’s been times this year where we keep fighting, keep fighting, and keep fighting. Obviously, last game we got up big and gave up the lead. So, it feels good to get down big and come back fighting to get a win.”
(On the emotions he feels when seeing his teammates succeed tonight…)
“I’m more than happy to see Devin out there having fun, hitting shots, and making some defensive plays. Just to see him keep getting better and better each and every game. To see his growth and the hard work he put in to get back on the court after his minor procedure is big. I couldn’t do nothing but smile. To see Blake Wesley hit a big three, I couldn’t do nothing but smile. Me and Blake were in the gym last night shooting, and to see a rookie hit a big shot like that, I couldn’t do nothing but smile.”
Spurs Guard Devin Vassell
(On the connection he has with Keldon Johnson on the court…)
“I think we both fed off each other, there were times in the game where I got going and KJ was looking for me, and when he got going, I looked for him. We really feed off each other. That’s kind of how it’s been this entire season. I’m kind of upset I got hurt, so I couldn’t gel for those two months, but we’re trying to take advantage of these last 15 or 12 games and keep trying to feed off each other. Hopefully, Jeremy will get back soon, and we can get this whole thing back rolling.”
(On the confidence his teammates instilled in him after coming back from injury…)
“I can’t do this without my teammates. I can’t do this without people motivating me. My first couple of games were tough. The shots that I usually make, I wasn’t making them. Plays on the defensive end, I wasn’t doing them. I hold myself to a high standard and so do my teammates, so to have KJ keep on encouraging me is huge. I think we both feed off that.”
(On players coming in midway through the season and playing well…)
“That’s a testament to the Spurs. You come in and pick up where we left off. Julian knocked down some big shots, Blake as a rookie, coming in hitting that layup and then hitting that three to go up 4 or 5. So everybody played big today and we just kept the faith knowing we could come back, and we did.”
Spurs Guard Blake Wesley
(On losing the lead last game and winning tonight …)
“It feels good. We’re all happy. We didn't want to go out like that the other night, so to bounce back [and] get this win, is huge for us. We didn't play good physicality the first half, but the second half we picked it up and see the results.”
(On Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson being back on court at the same time…)
“For sure, yeah. We missed Devin. He was hot tonight. He was on fire. Taps out to him and Keldon. They was both hot.”