Atlanta Hawks vs. Houston Rockets: the good, the bad, and the ugly

Friday night saw the Atlanta Hawks host the Rockets in what was a largely one-sided game as the Rockets ran riot with a 119-104 victory.

The Hawks now sit at 1-8 and are dead last in the Eastern Conference. Yeah, it may be discouraging, but it was largely expected before the season started that the Hawks would see their fair share of struggles.

Nevertheless, they continue to compete in games and on Friday night the Houston Rockets came to Philips Arena and had their way with the Coach Budenholzer’s men. As always there were some positive narratives within, but overall the performance was lackluster and was maybe one to forget moving forward.

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The Good

The team performance may not have been there, but several individuals really showed up. The notables include: Kent Bazemore, Taurean Prince, John Collins, Tyler Dorsey, Luke Babbitt and Isaiah Taylor.

Bazemore came out aggressive as ever in the first quarter and kept the intensity during his 27 minutes on the floor, putting up a line of 18 points, 2 assists, and 4 rebounds. He was the engine of the team last night and Hawks fans appreciated his passion on both ends.

Prince had himself a quietly efficient game in just under 24 minutes. 16 points, 3 rebounds, and 58% shooting from the field. Many think he can be the second option to Schroder in the near future, and performances like this only continue to support the claim.

The rookie brigade also came out to play last night and made the most of their opportunities. Collins nearly had another double-double, 8 points and 12 rebounds, on 3/7 shooting in 28 minutes on the floor. Dorsey featured for 17 minutes and made quick work by scoring 10 points.

Babbitt and Taylor were the other stars off the bench. Luke went 4/4 from deep for 12 points and Taylor recorded a season high 12 points as well to go along with 5 assists. Both players had a positive +/- and really made an impression on Coach Bud.

The Bad

Well, it was a loss. Spirits are going to be low as the Hawks next travel to Cleveland to face LeBron James, who is coming off of a 57-point game on Friday night. They need to find a way to get back on track and find their identity.

A leader needs to emerge both in the locker room and on the court. Enter Dennis Schroder. Last night Schroder had a brilliant first half, recording 16 points and matching James Harden contribution for contribution, but afterwards he was a shell of his former self.

The second half didn’t see him even record a point and his lack of interest on competing defensively only allowed the likes of Eric Gordon and others to expose him and extend the lead even further.

He was a shocking -26 during his 26 minutes of floor time before making way for Taylor to come in and try to lessen the bleeding. Schroder may be the star of this team, but performances like this don’t help anyone, and he can’t afford to have another second half like last night’s.

John Collins also showed some rookie struggles, but nothing too serious. It stands to reason that it’s an adjustment from playing collegiate ball to suddenly having James Harden and Nene running at you. He will take games like this to learn and refine his trade for the future.

The Ugly

1-8. It’s not the sexiest record, but it’s what defines our Atlanta Hawks at the moment. The record won’t bother Coach Bud or Travis Schlenk too much, they both know what they signed up for, but the effort on the court is a different story.

In the inaugural game of the season the Hawks came out with great intensity and defeated the Mavericks and since have competed with the best of the best, only to be outclassed in the 4^th quarter or simply not having shots fall. Against the Rockets, however, all of that was absent.

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The Hawks next opponent is the aforementioned Cavaliers, as they travel to take on King James on Sunday at 3:00pm EST.