Houston Rockets vs Atlanta Hawks Preview: Could it be another blowout?

The Houston Rockets will take on the Atlanta Hawks tonight at Philips Arena.

This is the first and only meeting between the two teams this season, therefore, I am hoping it is one to remember.

Currently, the Atlanta Hawks are ranked 15th in the Eastern Conference with their 1-7 record. While the Houston Rockets are ranked 2nd with a 6-3 record after a blowout win against the Knicks.

Will this be another blowout for the Rockets?

After the huge win against the New York Knicks, it is definitely possible. A different team was out on the court Wednesday but it was a good different with James Harden scoring 31 points and Ryan Anderson scoring 21 points.

In addition, Clint Capela was on fire with 13 rebounds, Trevor Ariza had 8 and Luc Mbah a Moute had 9 with a team total of 46.

3 things that Rockets need to win:

Fewer Turnovers: Turnovers have been a downfall for the Rockets having double-digit turnovers in almost every single game. Additionally, a positive for the team was that the Knicks only scored one point off of every turnover the Rockets had (15 points off of 15 turnovers).

Moreover, the Rockets fans can only hope the team handles the ball extremely well. The Rockets need to decrease their turnover number.

3-pointers: Before Wednesday night’s game, the Rockets’ 3-point shooting had been in a slump. When Gordon is out, the number of 3-pointers attempted/shot is significantly low.

The percentage of 3-pointers was 36.5% for 19-52 in Wednesday’s game. While the percentage was higher at 41.7% for the previous game, the team only attempted 24 3-point shots.

Defense: The defense could use some improvement. Capela did amazing with rebounds on defense, however, there is always room to increase the number of defensive rebounds. Additionally, it would not hurt to increase the team’s number of steals and blocks.

Projected Starters:

Rockets:

Hawks:

Injury Report:

Rockets:

Chris Paul: He is out versus the Hawks, however, the team expects him to be back in two weeks. Paul is suffering from a knee injury and Rockets have been being extra cautious to make sure he is 100% before he returns to the court.
Nene: He is questionable with an Achilles injury but is expected to play tonight against the Hawks.

Hawks:

Miles Plumlee: He is out with a quadriceps injury for tonight’s game.
Malcolm Delaney: He suffered a right ankle sprain in Wednesday’s game against the 76ers. He is currently listed a doubtful for tonight’s game.

So what will happen?

I am predicting a BLOWOUT but anything can happen. Strengthening their defense, reducing their amount of turnovers, and firing away those 3s will probably lead to that blowout win for the Rockets!

Next: Houston Rockets: Ryan Anderson wasn’t bothered by the trade rumors

Remember game starts at 6:30 pm C/T tonight. TUNE IN!

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