The Atlanta Hawks were at home Thursday evening to take on the Houston Rockets. The Hawks were coming off a big win against the Boston Celtics the night before and riding a four-game winning streak. As
for the Rockets, they were coming off a loss to the San Antonio Spurs last night, and looking to get back in the win column.
By no surprise, the Hawks were without Onyeka Okongwu after going through dental surgery earlier in the day. Jalen Johnson was also ruled out hours before the game because of calf tightness.
Just like against Celtics, the Hawks got off to a fast start in the first quarter with a 7-0 lead.
The Rockets started to settle in just a little and made a run to get even. The Hawks were able to still keep the lead, as CJ McCollum came in and was instant offense.
Both teams were cold for most of the quarter and were shooting around 30% from the field. The score going into the second showed it, as both teams had 23.
The poor shooting continued through the second quarter, and the Hawks tried to find easy buckets wherever they could. That’s how they got on the board with this connection from McCollum to Christian Koloko.
The Hawks continued to run their offense, and were able to get a Vit Krejci three-pointer.
The Hawks never let the Rockets go off on a big run, and they had to rely on their defense when the shots weren’t falling. That wasn’t new to Daniels, as he got this steal that led to a McCollum three.
Going into halftime, the Hawks trailed the Rockets 43-42.
The Rockets started to pull away in the third quarter after a few missed shots and not being able to secure defensive rebounds. It was a ten-point lead for the Rockets at midway through the third, but the Hawks were able to go on a run of their own to cut deficit to three.
The Rockets extended their lead back to double digits late in the quarter, and Asa Newell did what he could to trim their lead.
Going into the fourth quarter, the Hawks trailed 78-66.
Things didn’t get better for the Hawks when the fourth quarter started, as the Rockets built a 20-point advantage. The Hawks did their best to chip away at their deficit, but it was hard for them to get consistent stops on the other end.
With not enough scoring power on offense, the Hawks ultimately couldn’t string together enough buckets to cut 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 finished with 23 points, Alexander-Walker finished with 20 points, and Corey Kispert finished with 17 points.
The Hawks will be back in action on Saturday against the Indiana Pacers.
