ATLANTA – Despite only playing 24 minutes, Stephon Castle proved to be efficient in his return to Georgia. Castle’s San Antonio Spurs defeated the Atlanta Hawks in a decisive 126-98 fashion at State Farm Arena on Friday night. 

Castle’s first trip to Georgia since February started slow with an early turnover in the opening minutes. But after two assists to Devin Vassell and Luke Kornet, respectively, the second-year guard got things rolling.

The Covington native scored his first bucket of the night with 5:17 left in the first quarter on a three pointer. 

Three minutes later Castle nailed a contested jump shot over the Hawks’ Vit Krejci, drawing a foul in the process. A steal by Julian Champagnie gave the ball right back to Castle to hit the 10-point mark with 2:19 left in the first quarter.

Castle’s next points would come in the third quarter on a running layup to put the Spurs up 74-53 with 9:07 remaining. 

The Newton High School graduate knocked down one more contested mid-range jumpshot with 10:03 left in the fourth quarter before being pulled along with many of the starters with the game well out of reach.

Overall Castle scored 17 points, seven assists, two rebounds and one block, all far better than his first performance as a rookie.On Feb. 5, during the 2024-25 NBA season, he tallied 11 points, three assists and two rebounds off the bench in a 126-125 win.

But Friday’s showing was another note of evidence that has supported the trajectory of Castle’s career.

The defending 2025 NBA Rookie of the Year has taken a sizable leap in his second season. Through 18 games, Castle has averaged 18.3 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. He also leads the Spurs in assists with 6.9 per game.