Atlanta Hawks Game Preview: Feb. 2 at Houston Rockets

Thing To Watch For Atlanta: Tired Legs Equals Missed Shots?

Yes, I’m going to keep harping on the four overtime game. There’s no telling the long-term impact something like that can have on a player’s body. Fortunately the blowout loss to Miami gave Mike Budenholzer a chance to give the starting five a bit of a breather.

No starter played more than 26 minutes against Miami. The exhaustion seemed to impact Atlanta’s shooting the most, the Hawks shot 7-for-26 as a team from three-point range. Their three-point shooting was one of the primary reasons for their success in January.

Atlanta shot 39.4 percent from three-point range during the month of January, up from their 34.5 percent season average. They saw huge improvements from Kent Bazemore, Malcolm Delaney, and Tim Hardaway Jr, who each shot better than 40 percent from three-point range during the month.

To beat the Rockets they’re going to have to score and score often. Their highest scoring games usually coincide with hot shooting from three-point distance. Can the Hawks prove that they can win games with their offense rather than their usually stingy defense?