Hawks unravel late in loss to Rockets
The Hawks will be happy to be done with the Rockets.
They suffered their second consecutive loss to Houston on Monday evening, 120-110. The Hawks, who opened the year with wins in Orlando and Charlotte, return home at 2-2.
Houston pulled away midway through the fourth quarter with a 14-0 run in just over two minutes. It only worsened as the Rockets built their cushion. It was a nightmarish fourth quarter as the Hawks’ offense sputtered and the defense hemorrhaged points. The run was at one point 22-2.
It was a one-point game around halfway through the third quarter. Houston led by 20 with five minutes remaining. The Rockets are a bad matchup, but these two games exposed bigger concerns. The Hawks couldn’t settle down offensively — the ball stuck too often and they shot 3-for-16 on threes in the second half. It was the primary reason for their unraveling.
The Hawks gave up 64 points in the paint. The lack of rim protection remains a concern. They surrendered 53% shooting overall and were outrebounded 52-35.
Forward Jalen Johnson led the Hawks with 21 points on 5-of-14 shooting. Guard CJ McCollum scored 20 on 8-of-16 shooting.
Monday marked the Hawks’ sixth straight loss to the Rockets, whom they aren’t scheduled to see again until next season.
The Hawks host the Heat on Wednesday at 7 p.m. The Giannis Antetokounmpo era is off to a dreadful start for Miami, which is 0-4 and suffered a horrific loss to Charlotte one night after the Hawks decimated the Hornets.