Atlanta Hawks Game Preview: Launching with the Rockets

A quick preview of the matchup between the Atlanta Hawks and Houston Rockets.

The Atlanta Hawks and Houston Rockets will face off tonight for the first of two times this season. This will be the first time that Hawks fans will be able to catch a glimpse of MVP candidate James Harden.

Will The Beard be able to continue his historic stretch of 32 games with at least 30 points? Since the Hawks often have noted defensive sieve (but generational passer) Trae Young guarding point guards, odds are good that the streak continues.

Harden was unable to play in Houston’s recent win over the defending-champion Golden State Warriors, but the Point God, Chris Paul, carried the slack in his stead by pouring in 23 points and 17 assists as the Harden-less Rockets defeated the Dubs on the road.

The Rockets look far, far different from how they started the season, and this will be the first time that the Atlanta Hawks will see Austin Rivers, Kenneth Faried and Iman Shumpert in a Houston uniform.

Also, Clint Capela, who has been out for more than a month with a thumb injury, also returned to the lineup against the Warriors and provided an easy outlet for CP3 passes and piled up 15 rebounds.

Capela, thanks to his size, length and activity around the glass, always tends to perform well against the Atlanta Hawks, but the recent strong play of Dewayne Dedmon might help to stymy the seven-footer as he returns from injury.

Ahead of the trade deadline, a myriad of rumors swirled around the idea that either Dedmon or Kent Bazemore could be sent to the Rockets for Brandon Knight and a future first round pick. In the end, the deal didn’t get done as Hawks GM Travis Schlenk did not want to take on money past this season, which is understandable.

Either way, this will be an entertaining and interesting game. Tip-off is slated for 8:00 p.m. EST.