Atlanta Hawks: 4 Best Performances from 121-105 Loss to Rockets
By Chris Guest
A quick primer on the best performers for the Atlanta Hawks in their bout against the Houston Rockets last night.
The Atlanta Hawks fell by a final margin of 121 to 105 against the Houston Rockets.
Though the Hawks kept it close for much of the game, the Rockets ultimately picked up their defense and managed to can some threes on the way to defeating a thoroughly stunted Hawks unit.
Chris Paul, in particular, brought the heat in the second half, and he sauced up our beloved big man John Collins something proper before dishing off a nice pass to Kenneth Faried for an easy bucket.
However, even if the Atlanta Hawks didn’t have their best game as a unit, some players still had strong nights. Let’s explore the 4 best players in the game for Atlanta in this one.
As has often been the case this season, I’m happy to announce, the team’s best player on the evenin was none other than the best rookie in franchise history: Trae Young.
Young, already one of the best passers in the NBA, delivered another scorching performance against the Rockets: 21 points on 6 of 13 shooting with 12 assists and 4 rebounds.
As always, Trae’s passing was otherworldly, but perhaps his best of the night came on this sweet alley-oop to his fellow rookie Kevin Huerter:
https://twitter.com/HawksOnFSSE/status/1108159658697490433
John Collins is making a habit of delivering 20-point, 10-rebound games, and if he manages to up his averages for the season in both, he’ll become the first member of the Atlanta Hawks to do so since Moses Malone. Wow.
Last but not least, Taurean Prince and Vince Carter combined to hit 9 of their 14 threes, and when you take away their exploits, the team only shot 6 of 26 from beyond the arc, which is not particularly inspiring. Prince finished with 16 points, and Vince ended his night with 15 (all via those triples).
Next. Hawks Fan's Viewing Guide to 2019 NCAA Tournament. dark
Though the Atlanta Hawks got definitively outplayed, when the team has better talent (as soon as next year), Trae Young and John Collins will be able to grind out wins like this at some point. I personally can’t wait for the offseason and the 2019-20 season. It’s going to be a lot of fun.