Inside The Spurs

De'Aaron Fox's Heartbreaking Buzzer-Beater in Spurs-Hornets Goes Viral

The San Antonio Spurs nearly pulled off a comeback on the road against the Hornets Friday evening
Matt Guzman|
Feb 5, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard De'Aaron Fox (4) in action against the Atlanta Hawks in the third quarter at State Farm Arena.
Feb 5, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard De'Aaron Fox (4) in action against the Atlanta Hawks in the third quarter at State Farm Arena. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

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San Antonio SpursCharlotte Hornets

Even if it didn't go in, De'Aaron Fox made his presence felt Friday night.

With the San Antonio Spurs trailing by as many as 19 points to the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center, a comeback was certainly in the cards. Unfortunately for Fox and Co., they were a tenth of a second too late.

After nailing a mid-range jump shot with under 10 seconds to play to give the Spurs a two-point lead, Miles Bridges gave the Hornets back their lead with a 3-pointer and forced San Antonio's acting coach Mitch Johnson to call his final timeout.

With the ball advanced to half court, Fox began working to get free of his defender. It worked. Dribbling behind the 3-point line, Fox tried to create some space for himself to get a shot off, and once he did, he fired. The shot was good — at least at first glance,

After a brief review, crew chief Courtney Kirkland announced that Fox failed to release the ball before the final buzzer sounded. Charlotte secured a home victory and the Spurs fell to 1-1 in the Fox era, though too late or not, it was a valiant effort for San Antonio.

According to Johnson, however, it shouldn't have been as close as it was.

The Spurs were outshot from the field, behind the arc, and were also out-rebounded, which played a large role in a lack of scoring throughout the contest.

"That goes into the physicality piece," Johnson said postgame. "I put that under the physicality umbrella. Pretty, pretty disappointing."

Next up for San Antonio is a trip to Orlando to face the Magic on the second night of a back-to-back. Tipoff from Kia Center is set for 7 p.m. EST.

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Matt Guzman
MATT GUZMAN

Matt Guzman is a sports journalist and storyteller from Austin, Texas. He serves as a credentialed reporter and site manager for San Antonio Spurs On SI. In the world of professional sports, he’s a firm believer that athletes are people, too. He aims to spotlight the true, behind-the-scenes character of players and teams through strong narrative writing and sharp, hooking ledes.

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