Rockets Host Hawks in First of Two Straight Home Games
Back to Work. Missing Pieces. Part 1.
After having a rare four days off, the Rockets are back in action Friday night, as they host Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks. Houston will look to capitalize on the rest, and see if they can upset a likely playoff-bound Hawks team. Atlanta holds the fourth spot currently in the Eastern Conference standings, but they’re an average 4-4 in their last 8 games. The Rockets have more than enough firepower to upset Trae Young, former-Rocket Clint Capela, and the rest of the Hawks if they can stay disciplined on the defensive end, and control the basketball. This is the third game in Houston’s four-game home-stand, which ends tomorrow night when the Rockets host the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Houston will unfortunately be without two key pieces in tonight’s matchup with Atlanta. Starting center Alperen Sengun, and veteran Eric Gordon will both miss Friday’s tilt due to injuries. The Rockets will need everyone else on the roster to step up, as everyone will likely receive more minutes as a result of the injuries. Bruno Fernando is expected to make his return, and start at center tonight for Houston. The Rockets will need rookies Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason to replicate their performances they put on against Golden State on Sunday night. Both players set career-highs in scoring, and rebounded the ball well. Houston needs a similar effort if the Rockets want to beat the Hawks without Sengun and EG.
This is the first of two straight home games, another rarity in the schedule, as the Rockets will host the Oklahoma City Thunder tomorrow night. Houston’s had four days off and plenty of time to rest, so hopefully they can endure this upcoming double-header. It’s at home, so no travel will be involved, which will help the Rockets case. Houston really needs to win one of these next two games, for pride purposes, if not for anything else. Every team in the NBA has at least 5 wins except, the Houston Rockets. At 3-14, the Rockets are are distancing themselves with the worst record in the league. They’ll be in the Victor Wembanyama stakes regardless, as it appears Houston will likely finish with one of the worst records, if not the worst in the entire league. After being granted the rare in-season mini-vacation, it’s time to for the Rockets to get a rare win by beating Trae Young and the Hawks to start this weekend back-to-back.
Toyota Center: Houston, Texas
Jersey Colors:
Atlanta Hawks (11-7): Black
Houston Rockets (3-14): “Hardwood Classics” White
Tip-Off: 7:00 PM CT
TV: AT&T Sportsnet SW, NBA League Pass