The Atlanta Hawks had a 24-point lead over a tanking San Antonio Spurs team in the third quarter on Sunday.
Atlanta lost by eight points.
After the Hawks took an 85-61 lead with 11:29 remaining in the third quarter, the Spurs outscored them 65-33 the rest of the way, resulting in a 126-118 San Antonio victory.
Hawks lost to Spurs after starting the 3Q up 24 😳 pic.twitter.com/ufQpOQNSiN
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 19, 2023
Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell each had 29 points to lead the way for the Spurs.
The Hawks have playoff hopes and entered the game with a 35-36 record. They’re currently the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference.
The Spurs entered the game tied for the worst record in the Western Conference. The victory bumps up San Antonio’s record to 19-52, second-worst in the West and third-worst in the East.
This would be a brutal meltdown under any circumstances, but it’s especially embarrassing against a team that came into the game with a .257 winning percentage.
The NBA world has been crushing the Hawks after this devastating loss.
Brad Rowland of the Locked On Hawks Podcast tweeted, “I am notoriously level-headed but there is no way around how bad the Hawks just played in the second half. Complete and utter meltdown to turn a 24-pt lead into an 8-pt loss against a bad team. And it was a rather unbelievable offensive failure at the center of it.”
I am notoriously level-headed but there is no way around how bad the Hawks just played in the second half.
Complete and utter meltdown to turn a 24-pt lead into an 8-pt loss against a bad team.
And it was a rather unbelievable offensive failure at the center of it. https://t.co/Ym09vEKqIA
— Brad Rowland (@BTRowland) March 19, 2023
SB Nation Hawks blog Peachtree Hoops tweeted, “The Hawks suffer maybe the worst meltdown of the entire season after blowing a 24-point lead and lose 126-118. After an 83-point first half, the Hawks can only muster 35 in the second half. Ugly.”
The Hawks suffer maybe the worst meltdown of the entire season after blowing a 24-point lead and lose 126-118.
After an 83-point first half, the Hawks can only muster 35 in the second half.
Ugly.
— Peachtree Hoops (@peachtreehoops) March 19, 2023
“I cannot wait for the clearout that is gonna happen to this Hawks team in the summer,” tweeted Demetrius Bell of SB Nation.
I cannot wait for the clearout that is gonna happen to this Hawks team in the summer
— local bIogger (@fergoe) March 19, 2023
