The Atlanta Hawks have been at dwelling Thursday night to tackle the Houston Rockets. The Hawks have been coming off a giant win in opposition to the Boston Celtics the evening earlier than and using a four-game profitable streak. As for the Rockets, they have been coming off a loss to the San Antonio Spurs final evening, and seeking to get again within the win column.
By no shock, the Hawks have been with out Onyeka Okongwu after going via dental surgical procedure earlier within the day. Jalen Johnson was additionally dominated out hours earlier than the sport due to calf tightness.
Similar to in opposition to Celtics, the Hawks received off to a quick begin within the first quarter with a 7-0 lead.
The Rockets began to settle in just a bit and made a run to get even. The Hawks have been in a position to nonetheless preserve the lead, as CJ McCollum got here in and was immediate offense.
Each groups have been chilly for many of the quarter and have been capturing round 30% from the sphere. The rating going into the second confirmed it, as each groups had 23.
The poor capturing continued via the second quarter, and the Hawks tried to search out simple buckets wherever they may. That’s how they received on the board with this connection from McCollum to Christian Koloko.
The Hawks continued to run their offense, and have been in a position to get a Vit Krejci three-pointer.
The Hawks by no means let the Rockets go off on a giant run, and so they needed to depend on their protection when the pictures weren’t falling. That wasn’t new to Daniels, as he received this steal that led to a McCollum three.
Going into halftime, the Hawks trailed the Rockets 43-42.
The Rockets began to drag away within the third quarter after a couple of missed pictures and never with the ability to safe defensive rebounds. It was a ten-point lead for the Rockets at halfway via the third, however the Hawks have been in a position to go on a run of their very own to chop deficit to 3.
The Rockets prolonged their lead again to double digits late within the quarter, and Asa Newell did what he might to trim their lead.
Going into the fourth quarter, the Hawks trailed 78-66.
Issues didn’t get higher for the Hawks when the fourth quarter began, because the Rockets constructed a 20-point benefit. The Hawks did their greatest to chip away at their deficit, nevertheless it was onerous for them to get constant stops on the opposite finish.
With not sufficient scoring energy on offense, the Hawks in the end couldn’t string collectively sufficient buckets to chop their deficit, and Quin Snyder pulled the plug with about two minutes left after Kevin Durant hit a three-pointer to seal the deal for the Rockets.
McCollum completed with 23 factors, Alexander-Walker completed with 20 factors, and Corey Kispert completed with 17 factors.
The Hawks will probably be again in motion on Saturday in opposition to the Indiana Pacers.
