The Nate McMillan era began with five consecutive wins for the Atlanta Hawks and, on Tuesday, the team arrived in Texas for a favorable confrontation against a Houston Rockets team entering a streak of 16 consecutive defeats. While the Hawks operated without Clint Capela and Onyeka Okongwu – in addition to De’Andre Hunter, Cam Reddish and Kris Dunn – for the second game in a row, the Rockets had a myriad of injury problems, leaving Atlanta as the comfortable favorite in tip betting. . Still, anything can happen in the NBA, and the Hawks admirably took care of business towards a 119-107 victory in their sixth consecutive victory.
Atlanta actually stumbled, at least a little, out of the gate, allowing the Rockets to take a 9-4 advantage. However, that was the only real hiccup at first, as the Hawks quickly stabilized and later used a 7-0 run to win 19-15.
Trae Young generated five assists and, with the help of Danilo Gallinari’s strong kick, the Hawks increased the series to 20-5 overall, with a 32-20 advantage. At the end of the first quarter, Atlanta led by 13 points, and Gallinari produced 12 points, the highest score in any first quarter of this season.
Atlanta soared 72 percent in the opening period, and it was more of the same at the start of the second quarter. The Hawks opened with a 13-3 spurt to push the lead to 48-25, and that represented a general streak of 36-10 from the first quarter. Gallinari continued to take advantage of Houston’s small attacking court, and great newcomer Nathan Knight made an impact for the second game in a row.
Houston had a counterattack, expanding to an 11-1 spurt to reduce the margin back to 13. Immediately, however, the Hawks were able to extend their lead to 21, partly thanks to Young’s magic and general movement of the ball.
Houston managed to stay on the sidelines, leaving Atlanta just 15 points clear at halftime, but the Hawks led with 23 points and played very well. It certainly helped that Houston’s available squad was unstable at best, but the Hawks hit 63 percent of the ground, 44 percent of the three-point line and 93 percent of the free-throw line before the break. . Gallinari scored 20 points in the first half for the second time this season, and Young scored 10 assists in just 17 minutes.
Early in the second half, the Hawks used a strong movement of the ball to generate a John Collins three-pointer, gaining an 18-point lead as a result. The Rockets then scored eight consecutive points, rising within a 10-point margin and taking interim coach Nate McMillan to a time limit, as things looked genuinely dangerous for the first time since the opening minutes.
At the time, Tony Snell stopped the bleeding and, well, he never seems to make a mistake.
The Rockets did not stop loading, however, and things became problematic for the visiting team. Houston scored 56 points in less than 20 minutes overall, and in a period of 14 minutes, the Rockets beat the Hawks by a margin of 42-20. This reduced Atlanta’s lead from 23 to just one at the end of the third quarter, sounding a real alarm for the Hawks.
Houston finally tied the game in 97-97 at the start of the fourth period, officially completing his long climb back to the draw. Atlanta responded, however, with Kevin Huerter burying a three-point wrench at the six-minute mark to put the Hawks back in front by five points.
Out of a time limit, Snell connected at one of three points of his own, and the Hawks began to put space between them and the Rockets. After a rather ugly attack period at both ends, Snell dropped a three-point dagger at 2:34 left, giving the Hawks an 11-point lead that they would never lose on the way to the final 12-point margin.
Gallinari led the way with 29 points, including 20 before the break, and both Collins (20 points, 10 rebounds, four blocks) and Young (13 points, 14 assists) contributed to double. Snell converted big shots – as he did throughout the season – and Huerter (16 points) and Knight (15 points) performed well in support.
Atlanta certainly did not play a consistent game for 48 minutes, dominating at the beginning and giving a substantial advantage to an opponent with few players. Still, the Hawks held the line in the fourth period and managed to emerge victorious, avoiding what could have been a frustrating collapse.
The Hawks now return to Atlanta to face the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday. After the fall at home, the Hawks will begin an eight-game trip on Saturday in Los Angeles.
Stay tuned.