The Atlanta Hawks were back in preseason form as they went up against the Houston Rockets for their first of four. This was the first time fans would be able to see the new additions, the players already on the team, and some who are trying to make the roster. One of the new additions had already found themselves in the starting lineup, as Kristaps Porzingis joined Trae Young, Dyson Daniels, Zaccharie Risacher, and Jalen Johnson.
Porzingis popped it off for the Hawks on the scoreboard, getting to
his patented off-the-backboard jumper.
Later on, Young found Daniels for an easy alley-oop layup.
The Hawks couldn’t get many shots to go early in the quarter, but when some of the second unit came in, things started to change on both sides of the floor. Nickeil Alexander-Walker came in the game and got a layup to go in traffic.
Luke Kennard got in on the fun with the new additions to get his first points on the team. Surprisingly, it wasn’t a 3-pointer.
As much as the offense started to get into the flow, the defense picked up as well.
To end the first quarter, the Hawks trailed 24-23. Going into the second quarter, the Rockets continued to make their 3-pointers at a high rate, but the Hawks were able to stay in the game. Midway through the quarter, the Hawks were able to turn defense into offense, getting a wide open 3-pointer from Kennard.
A few possessions later, Young knocked down a deep 3-pointer to give the Hawks the lead. Later down the stretch, Young found Johnson for an alley-oop dunk, which was probably a sight to see for many fans.
Going into halftime, the Hawks trailed the Rockets 64-60. To start the third quarter, Young, Johnson, and Porzingis sat out, and Kennard, Alexander-Walker, and Kennard replaced them.
After a slow start in the first half, Risacher started to get things going in the second half.
After seeing what a possible 8 or 9-man rotation could look like in the regular season during the first half, Quin Snyder started to go deeper into the roster, as more players got an opportunity to play. Though Keaton Wallace had played some minutes in the first half, he got some extra burn in the second half.
Vit Krejci got this mid-range shot to go down the stretch of the third.
Asa Newell saw his first action in the second half, and showed flashes on both sides of the ball. He got a huge block in the fourth quarter and later on knocked down a 3-pointer for his first points as a rookie.
Both the Rockets and Hawks were playing deep into their benches in the fourth, and the Hawks were doing their best to come back late. Unfortunately, they were not able to make it happen, and they walked away with a lost in their preseason opener.
Alexander-Walker finished with 13 points, Okongwu and Johnson finished with 11 points, and Young and Risacher finished with nine points.
The Hawks will be back in action on Saturday against the Memphis Grizzlies.
