Rockets Open Season in Atlanta, Battle New-Look Hawks
Atlanta Allocution. Dangerous Duo. Fresher Start.
It’s finally here! Another season of hope, promise, ups, downs, action, and hopefully for the opposing teams: allocution. After roughly 6 months, the Houston Rockets are back in action. Opening Night is always an exciting time for all teams, as opportunities, fresh hope, and the potential for success are abound. The Rockets still have one of the youngest teams in the NBA, and they’ll be tested tonight against a more talented and experienced Atlanta Hawks squad. Atlanta is coming off a somewhat disappointing season, after advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals two years ago. The Hawks lost in the first round of the playoffs last year as the 8th seed, and Atlanta made some offseason moves for preventable maintenance in the future, acquiring All-Star Dejounte Murray from the San Antonio Spurs. He’s also known as Trae Young’s new, very dangerous partner in crime. Major intrigue awaits witnessing how the Hawks two ball-dominant stars will play together. Houston’s in trouble tonight for several reasons tonight. It’s the Hawks home opener. Atlanta and State Farm Arena will be rocking tonight. And Trae Young is poised to get his Hawks rolling after a disappointing finish last season.
Houston will be without their energizer bunny, Jae’Sean Tate, who suffered an ankle sprain in the preseason. The rest of the squad will have opportunities about to continue and show what they’re capable of on the court. Expect Jalen Green’s explosive season to begin tonight. But he can’t do it by himself. Hopefully Kevin Porter Jr. stays under control, as he will likely be hounded by Dejounte Murray, who is an excellent defender. Alperen Sengun will get a chance to show-off his skillset against former Rocket center Clint Capela, who will be manning the paint for Atlanta. Be on the lookout for Tari Eason to make an immediate impact on the court, regardless of his playing time.
Tonight is a chance for the Rockets to get off to a fresh start, and maybe shock some fans in Atlanta with an upset. Every time has offseason rust to shake off early in the season. With Tate out of the lineup, rookies Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason should receive more chances to show their potential, and why Houston selected them in the draft. The Hawks will be without Bogdan Bogdonavic tonight, who has a knee injury. With this being Game 1 of 82 regular season matchups throughout the league, the Rockets have a better chance to steal a win tonight, as opposed to midseason when Atlanta could potentially be in a groove. It’s a fresh start for everyone on Opening Night. Houston has a great chance to steal the show in the ATL tonight… get ready for the first stop on The Jalen Green Tour. The Rockets’ sophomore stud is back in action. After being slept on last season due to his slow start, Houston’s star is prepped to wake his adversaries from their comfort. Green’s ready to show the Hawks and send the league… a proper allocution in Atlanta.
State Farm Arena: Atlanta Georgia
Jersey Colors:
Houston Rockets (0-0): Black
Atlanta Hawks (0-0): Red
Tip-Off: 6:30 PM CT
TV: AT&T Sportsnet SW, NBA League Pass