Just when it looked like the toe tags were about to be applied to the Hawks, a strange thing happened Tuesday night: they snapped to life with odd lineup combinations and kicked the Rockets out of Philips Arena.
Trailing 87-72 with only two players who had been genuinely consistent from the game’s start, Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer called timeout after back-to-back 3-pointer by the Rockets to start the fourth quarter.
Problem was, Jeff Teague and Dennis Schroder usually play the same position at different times. Teague starts, Schroder backs up.
They formed an unusual problem for the Rockets when paired together, and really from beginning to end. Teague went for a game-high 25 points and six assists, and Schroder was good for 16 points points and a game-high eight assists. They were central to Atlanta’s 21-3 run after that timeout.
“Dennis and Jeff playing together I thought really helped us,” Budenholzer said. “Defensively, Jason Terry had an amazing game [with 21 points off the Houston bench], and hopefully Dennis was able to get into him a little late, and we could play with a little more pace.
Atlanta (41-19) went nuts after that timeout, when Teague subbed in for Kent Bazemore and Mike Scott subbed in for Pero Antic.
In a fairly glorious 6:27, Scott scored seven points and grabbed two rebounds, Teague scored six with a steal and an assist, and Schroder scored two with three assists.
When the Hawks finally re-took the lead, it came on a Schroder-to-Teague play.
On one end, Paul Millsap blocked a shot by Corey Brewer, Schroder rebounded and took off as if fired.
He drove all the way, but had company wearing different colors, and fired to the left wing. Teague, breaking like a banshee himself, was alone, caught, fired, and one 3-pointer later the Hawks led 91-90 with 4:24 left.
“Our offense is so free flowing that it doesn’t really change,” Teague said after scoring eight points in the final period. “I like guarding bigger guys so it works for me.”
The Teague-Schroder tandem can work for the Hawks on both ends.
Houston point guard Patrick Beverly was not especially problematic in scoring nine points with seven assists before fouling out late. Terry, on the other hand, was a nuisance.
Yet with Atlanta’s two top perimeter pressure defenders on the court, the Hawks slowed a Rockets squad that raced to 59 first-half points. Houston scored 15 fourth-quarter points on 5-of-21 shooting with six turnovers.
“They turned up the pressure, and we just turned it over too much,” said Houston head coach Kevin McHale.
Beverly and Terry went scoreless in the fourth quarter.
Teague and Schroder closed the game’s scoring with a pair of free throws each.
“I think it does change us,” Al Horford said of the Teague-Schroder combination. “It’s a good look for us. Both of the guys are very aggressive, and with our team we’re very unpredictable and you never know who’s going to come in and step up and have a big game.”
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