Rockets 118, Hawks 99 - 60

By Forrest Walker on March 25, 2018
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For the first time in franchise history, the Houston Rockets have won 60 games. The victim tonight was an Atlanta Hawks team mired deep in a tanking effort. The Rockets took an early lead and never looked back. James Harden ended the night with a triple double and a mere thirty minutes played on the second night of a back-to-back.

Rockets 119, Hawks 104 - Cruising

Photo by Mintaha Neslihan Eroglu/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

The Houston Rockets have had their share of troubles recently. Their shiny new hall-of-fame level point guard, Chris Paul, has missed nine out of ten games. Dings, dents, scrapes and stomachaches have shortened their rotation and prevented them from playing to their potential. They were dragged into and through the mud by the Memphis Grizzlies on two separate, non-consecutive occasions. They are nowhere near the team they expected to be, and the team they probably would be with some better breaks. They are not, however, anywhere near losing to the Atlanta Hawks. In probably the least interesting game of the season, the Houston Rockets ran away with this one, quietly and swiftly asserting their dominance and moving on.

Game Preview: Houston Rockets vs Atlanta Hawks

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The Rockets, playing in their first home game in nearly two weeks, cruised past the struggling Kings and improved to 36-16 on the season. After losing three games out of their five game road streak the Rockets are looking to find their game again during this home stand, playing seven of their next 10 at the Toyota Center. The Rockets are led in scoring, assists and rebounds by MVP candidate James Harden, at 28.4 points, 11.5 assists, and  8.2 rebounds a game. The Rockets are ranked 3rd in offensive rating, 18th in defensive rating, and 4th in net rating.

The Hawks have had a roller coaster of a season, coming out of the gates red hot, stumbling after their first 11 games, and getting back on track as of late - winning 10 of their last 15 games. The Hawks will be coming off of a quadruple overtime win against the Knicks that saw Paul Millsap play 60 (yes, 60) minutes, followed by a loss to the Miami Heat, putting them at 28-21 on the season and in 4th place in the east. The Hawks are led in scoring by all star Paul Millsap at 17.9 points, in rebounds by Dwight Howard at 12.8 rebounds, and in assists by Dennis Schroder at 6.3 assists per game. The Hawks rank 25th in offensive rating, 5th in defensive rating, and 15th in net rating.

Starting Lineups

The Rockets remain healthy and will likely have all their players available on Thursday. The Rockets still appear to be rotating starters at the center position, with Clint Capela returning to the starting lineup at center against the Kings on Tuesday. The Rockets will likely start James Harden at point guard, Patrick Beverley at shooting guard, Trevor Ariza at small forward, Ryan Anderson at power forward, and one of their three centers (Capela, Montrezl Harrell or Nene Hilario), with Eric Gordon getting starter’s minutes.

The Hawks will may be missing rotation wing Thabo Sefolosha with a groin injury, and will likely start the game with Dennis Schroder at point guard, Tim Hardaway at shooting guard, Kent Bazemore at small forward, Paul Millsap at power forward, and Dwight Howard at center.

Three Things to Watch

• Dwight Comeback – After spending three seasons in a Rockets uniform, center Dwight Howard comes back to Houston for the first time since signing with the Hawks. In their last match up in Atlanta, Dwight had a big game, scoring 20 points and grabbing 15 rebounds as the Hawks pummeled the Rockets. Watch to see how Dwight plays in his former teams building, and if the Rockets' trio of centers are able to keep him in check.


• Rematch – The Rockets and Hawks last played in early November in the 6th game of the season - a game in which the Rockets were trying to find themselves but ultimately got blown out 97-112 (despite Harden putting up 30-11-9). The Rockets weren't able to stop anyone, with three of the Hawks starters scoring 20 points, and all of them scoring double digits (allowing the Hawks to have a 58.6% True Shooting). Watch to see how different the Rockets look from the beginning of the year, and if Beverley, who missed the last match-up, is able to contain Dennis Schroder, who served as the Hawks' offensive catalyst and finished the game with 17 points and 10 assists.


• Stylistic Differences – The Rockets and Hawks are both teams that emphasize playing with pace and keeping the ball 'live', but there is one huge difference in the way the two teams play: Post Ups. The Hawks have over double the total number of post up possessions than the Rockets (308 vs 141), and Dwight Howard has only one fewer post up this season than the Rockets as a whole. Watch to see how the styles clash and if the number of three-point attempts in lieu of post ups is able to provide a mathematical advantage over the Hawks.

Prediction and Tip-Off

This should be a close game. The Rockets are the better team, but have not been playing up to their capabilities, while the Hawks have been playing pretty well. I think the Rockets will win as they will be the team with more rest given that the Hawks are playing the second half of a back-to-back, having played in Miami the night before.

Tip-off will be at 7:00 P.M. Central Time in Houston on Thursday, February 1st. The game will be televised on TNT, with the radio broadcast on Sports Talk 790-AM.

Game Preview: Houston Rockets vs Atlanta Hawks

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After Thursday's blowout win over the New York Knicks, the Rockets had a few nights off before playing in Atlanta for their third straight away game. Behind James Harden's stellar play, the Rockets have advanced to a 3-2 record and are aiming to improve that record tonight against the Dwight Howard led Hawks. So far on the season, the Rockets are fourth in offensive rating but only 28th in defensive rating.

The Atlanta Hawks opened the season winning three straight and having the NBA's best defense during that span, but they have come back down to earth a little bit over the last two games, a loss to the Lakers at home and a loss to the Washington Wizards. The Hawks are ranked 11th in offensive rating and tied for 2nd in defensive rating. The Hawks are led in scoring by Paul Millsap at 16.8 points per game, rebounds by Dwight Howard at 12 a game, and in assists by Dennis Schroder at 5.4 a game.

Starting Lineups

Rockets fans can expect more of the same from the Rockets, as they will likely be starting James Harden at point guard, Gordon at shooting guard, Ariza at small forward, Anderson at power forward, and Capela at center.

The Hawks went out with the plan to give their team a soft-reboot this off-season, they accomplished this by giving young point guard Dennis Schroder the reigns, sending former starter Jeff Teague off in a trade, and signing Dwight Howard away from the Rockets. After their off-season moves, the Hawks have been starting Schroder at point guard, knockdown shooter Kyle Korver at shooting guard, high energy and long armed Kent Bazemore at small forward, all around star Paul Millsap at power forward, and the man we all know and love, Dwight Howard at center.

Three Things to Watch

• Reunion - After last season's dysfunction, Dwight Howard decided to opt for a change of scenery after 3 years in Houston. Tonight he faces his former teammates, who he didn't seem to see eye to eye with, and his old coach from LA, who he REALLY didn't see eye to eye with. It will be interesting to see how Dwight plays in a new environment and whether he looks like he's trying to prove something to the Rockets.


• Harden's brilliance - James Harden has been astounding this season. Coming off of two games that saw him tally 71 points and 30 assists to only four turnovers, James Harden is fourth in the league in points per game and first in assists. Many will be watching to see if Harden can keep up this insane offensive production against an extremely stingy Hawks defense.


• The young guns - Through the first 5 games the Rockets' collection of young talent has made a positive influence. Clint Capela (22), KJ McDaniels (23), Sam Dekker (22), and Montrezl Harrell (22) have all looked like solid rotation pieces even at their young age. If this can keep up, it would be huge for the Rockets, as young talent on cheap contracts can help fill out any roster and be nice trade chips, so whether or not they can sustain the solid play is something to keep an eye on.

Prediction and Tip-Off

I think Dwight will come at the Rockets hard, overpowering Capela and beating Nene with his athleticism on his way to a big game. I also expect Harden to keep riding his hot streak, especially against a former teammate who he may not be on the best of terms with. Between the two former teammates having huge games I think the Rockets will come out on top, moving to 4-2, as the Hawks are coming off of a back to back and have seen some struggles from their new starting point guard and Kent Bazemore early in the season.

Tip-off will be at 6:30 P.M. Central Time in the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia on Saturday, November 5th and will be televised on ROOT Sports, with the radio broadcast on Sports Talk 790-AM.