De'Aaron Fox Leads Spurs in First Game vs. Hawks

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jonah Kubicek | Last updated Feb 6, 2025 9:34 AM ET

In the first game of the Victor Wembanyama and De'Aaron Fox era, the San Antonio Spurs beat the Atlanta Hawks, 126-125. The Spurs led by as many as 20 points in the second half before allowing the Hawks to come back, but a savvy intentional missed free throw in the final seconds by Victor Wembanyama was enough for the Spurs to eke out a narrow win.

Wembanyama scored 24 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, and Fox offered 24 of his own to go with three steals and 13 assists. It's safe to say that having a scoring point guard will bode well for the Spurs moving forward.

With Zach Collins traded to the Chicago Bulls and Charles Bassey out with an MCL sprain, Jeremy Sochan came off the bench as the center, backing up Wembanyama.

He offered 15 points, going 7-7 from inside the arc, but it's clear that the Spurs need to add a backup center with some size, which would allow Wembanyama to catch a breath and slot Sochan back into his natural position. With hours left before the Feb. 6 NBA trade deadline at 2:00 PM CST, the Spurs need to get to work if they are to address that this season.

Of course, Mo Bamba is a servicable option on the open market if the Spurs instead want to make a free agent signing.

With Fox initiating the offense, Devin Vassell was able to find his form, scoring 20 points and dishing out four assists as the third facilitator. Chris Paul also started for the Spurs and amassed nine assists of his own.

As a team, 36 of the Spurs' 51 field goals were assisted on, so The Beautiful Game, it would seem, is back.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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