Jalen Johnson, the week 4 Player of the Week, will go head-to-head against De’Aaron Fox for the first time.
The San Antonio Spurs (10-4, 5th in Western Conference) host the Atlanta Hawks (9-6, 6th in Eastern Conference) on Thursday at Frost Bank Center.
The Hawks saw the end of their five-game winning streak after losing to the red-hot Detroit Pistons on Monday, while the Spurs have started a new winning run after back-to-back wins over the Sacramento Kings and the Memphis Grizzlies in their last two games. Here are three key storylines to know heading into this matchup on Thursday.
- Injuries piling up for San Antonio: Victor Wembanyama is not only the barometer of the Spurs on defense with his otherworldly shot-blocking ability. The star big man is also a standout player on offense when he’s at his best, and his absence will force the Spurs to adjust their game plan on that end of the floor.
Wembanyama is dealing with a calf strain and is to be sidelined for “multiple weeks,” with coach Mitch Johnson finding ways to sustain the team’s strong start. Complicating things further is the fact that San Antonio will also be without Stephon Castle (hip) and rookie Dylan Harper (calf), so De’Aaron Fox will have a bigger scoring workload. Fox has proven he can be relied upon, though, as he’s surpassed the 20-point mark in five of his first six appearances this season and has routinely been a 20-point scorer throughout his career. - Hawks put road win streak at stake: The Hawks will aim to bounce back from their 120-112 loss to the Pistons on Tuesday. Atlanta is riding a four-game road win streak, winning two of those four games by double digits, including a 33-point win over Sacramento on Nov. 13. Their 7-2 road record is the second-best mark in the Eastern Conference behind Detroit’s 5-1, but keeping the winning streak alive against the Spurs would be key. San Antonio is 7-2 at home this season.
- Johnson has Hawks soaring: The Hawks’ start to the season didn’t go according to plan, but they’re coming out of the other side of it. Trae Young suffered a knee injury on Oct. 29 and is likely out through November. Kristaps Porziņģis has missed six of the team’s 15 games, including the last three, and is not a lock to be available Thursday. But one player who has stepped up is Johnson.
The forward enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2024-25 before suffering a shoulder injury that limited him to 36 regular-season appearances, and he’s been even better in 2025-26. Through 13 starts, Johnson is averaging a career-high 22 ppg while also posting 9.5 rpg, 6.5 apg and 1.8 spg while shooting 38.1% on 3-pointers. Johnson has become the go-to option on offense due to the absences of both Young and Porziņģis, and he’s delivering. In his last five games, Johnson is averaging 24.2 ppg, 11.2 rpg, 9.2 apg and 2.6 spg.
