De'Aaron Fox thrills in nail-biting debut vs Hawks

02/06/2025 02:15 PM

Ladies and gentlemen, the Spurs are playoff contenders.

Coming off a loss to the Memphis Grizzlies this past Monday, the Spurs traveled to Atlanta to take on the Hawks. Newly acquired Spur De'Aaron Fox made his debut and started in place of Stephon Castle. The Spurs dominated the first half, outscoring the Hawks 72-54. Fox had 18 points and six assists at halftime. However, the Hawks outscored the Spurs 43-31 in the third and proceeded to erase the Spurs' 20-point lead. The fourth quarter was a back-and-forth affair, especially at the last minute. After a putback dunk by Victor Wembanyama with 30 seconds left, Trae Young tied the game with 12 seconds left. Fox and Wemby ran the pick-and-roll, and Wemby got fouled by Onyeka Okongwu with 2.2 seconds left. The Hawks challenged the call and lost, which meant they were out of timeouts. After Wemby made the first free throw to take the lead, he intentionally missed the second (thanks to on-court coach Chris Paul), and Trae Young missed a half-courter at the buzzer. Spurs win 126-125.

De'Aaron Fox balled out in his silver and black debut! He dropped 24 points, 13 assists, five rebounds, and three steals. His presence on offense is a tremendous game-changer. His quick shot-making and decision-making had Hawks players on their heels. Whenever Wemby was off the court and Fox was on, the offense was still clicking. The fact that Spurs finally have another premier scoring threat next to Wemby, spells dangerous things for the rest of the west.

Look at the flick of the wrist! Fox's first points as a Spur comes on a transition three!

ZOOM! After the Harrison Barnes steal, Fox finds himself wide open on the other end for the easy slam!

EUROOOO! On the fastbreak, Fox performs the euro-step on Young for the scoop layup! So smooth.

Here's another look!

Here's the rest of Swipa's debut highlights!

Victor Wembanyama played under the weather again but still dropped a double-double: 24 points and 12 rebounds. He also pitched in two dimes and a block. Vic played like he just ran a 5K. Despite only three attempts in the first half, he turned it on in the second. Hopefully, his allergies go away soon because him at full strength with Fox is going to be deadly.

W3MBY! Fox and Wemby play hot potato and it ends with Wemby draining a deep three!

Look out! It's a flying saucer! Devin and Wemby run the pick and roll and Wemby takes off from the hash mark for the alley-oop slam!

CLUTCH! After the missed Fox layup, Wemby cleans up the mess! Good luck guarding this.

Here's the rest of Wemby's highlights!

Devin Vassell had a solid game with 20 points, four assists, three rebounds, and four steals. After getting his jersey retired by his high school, Dev showed off highlight dunks and buckets. Fox being inserted into the lineup helps Dev with spacing. Looking forward to more open looks!

Fastbreak slam! Off the Barnes steal, Dev and Fox pass it back-and-forth and it results in an easy slam!

GET UP! On the fastbreak, Sochan lobs it to Dev and finishes with a dunk!

Is it the shoes? Dev catches the ball at the wing and drives in for the one-handed sky slam!

Jeremy Sochan had a solid game with 15 points, four rebounds, two assists, and a steal. Even though he's still coming off the bench, Jeremy's minutes have increased since he's returned from injury. He continues to be a great glue guy on both ends by cutting and sneaking into passing lanes.

Fall in line! Off the Julian Champagnie steal, Steph Castle finds Jeremy inside for the finish!

Off the steal, Jeremy drives on the fastbreak and finishes it with two hands for safety!

Dunk to layup! Another fastbreak, another Jeremy finish. This time, Barnes launches it to CP3 who hands it off to Jeremy who has a fancy layup!

Stephon Castle showed off his high-flying ability with 11 points, three assists, two rebounds, a steal, and a block. Even though he came off the bench, the Castle + Fox minutes were glorious. Having two quick defenders and explosive playmakers makes the other team's defense scared. Enjoy these future dunk contest dunks.

GET IN MY POSTER! Steph posterizes Garrison Mathews with two hands! Young Derrick Rose anyone?

SHOW OFF THEN! On the fastbreak, Castle finishes with a ferocious windmill jam!

Even though they choked a 20-point lead, they clutched it out. Fox looks amazing and it will be a difference-maker for the rest of the season. With Charles Bassey's injury, look for this team to make a move for a backup center and/or another wing. Go Spurs Go!

Finally, here are the full game highlights.

The Spurs take on the Charlotte Hornets this Friday at 6:00 P.M. (CST) on FDSN-SW.