Summary
The Houston Rockets entered Saturday night’s matchup against the Atlanta Hawks as significant underdogs. Despite their league-worst record, Houston’s young squad never blinked against Atlanta.
Trae Young and Dejounte Murray combined for 83 points. By midway through the third quarter, Atlanta had a 16-point lead and was poised to put the game away. However, a skirmish between the two teams seemingly galvanized Houston.
After the confrontation, Houston outscored Atlanta 34-18 in the fourth quarter. Atlanta was without Clint Capela (dental pain), and it showed. Houston dominated the glass and points in the paint.
Credit goes to Rockets coach Stephen Silas and his team for pulling off an impressive upset. But this was a terrible loss for Atlanta. First, De’Andre Hunter and John Collins shot a combined 0-10 from deep. Second, Onyeka Okongwu is not ready to start at center. Lastly, rookie AJ Griffin is slowly becoming Atlanta’s third-best option on offense.
Hawks coach Nate McMillan has his work cut out for him after tonight. We will be back tomorrow morning with more coverage. Stay locked into AllHawks.com for news, highlights, and analysis.
Stats
Hawks Leaders
Trae Young – 44 PTS, 5 AST
Dejounte Murray – 39 PTS, 3 REB
AJ Griffin – 11 PTS, 1 REB
Rockets Leaders
Jalen Green – 30 PTS, 5 REB
KJ Martin – 21 PTS, 15 REB
Jabari Smith Jr. – 21 PTS, 9 REB
