Hawks start road swing in San Antonio

The Hawks have lost seven straight and 10 of their last 11 at San Antonio. The last time Atlanta defeated the Spurs on the road was on February 15, 1997.

San Antonio has won 11 of 13 and 14 of the last 19 contests in this series.

The Spurs return home after going 3-2 on a five-game homestand. On Saturday, Gilbert Arenas scored 43 points, just one off his career-high, as the Washington Wizards validated their early season success with a 110-95 victory over San Antonio at the MCI Center.

Tim Duncan was held to 11 points on 3-of-18 shooting, and the two-time MVP missed several point-blank opportunities as the game slipped away in the second half. Duncan did grab 14 rebounds in the loss, while Nick Van Exel scored 13 points and Bruce Bowen netted 12 for the Spurs

San Antonio is 2-0 at home this season. The Spurs are also scheduled to host Houston and Phoenix.

The Hawks begin a three-game road trip tonight. They finished 0-3 on a three- game homestand. On Saturday, Pau Gasol collected an offensive rebound and scored the game-winning basket with a layup just before the final horn sounded, as the Memphis Grizzlies edged the Hawks, 85-84, at Philips Arena.

Joe Johnson had 17 points and a game-high 12 assists in the loss to Memphis, while Josh Smith went for 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Hawks, who is off to their worst start since 2000-01 when the Hawks began the season with seven straight losses.

Atlanta will also visit Dallas and New Orleans/Oklahoma City on its current trip.