Houston @ Atlanta preview
State Farm Arena
Last Meeting ( Feb 10, 2024 ) Houston 113, Atlanta 122
The Houston Rockets and Alperen Sengun will try to keep their hot road streak alive when they travel to play the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday.
The Rockets have won three in a row -- the last two on the road -- and Sengun has been at the heart of it with 72 points over that time. He scored 32 in Thursday's 119-115 win over Memphis.
The Hawks are returning from a six-game road trip that saw them go 2-4. The Western Conference swing concluded with Thursday's 123-115 loss at Phoenix.
This will be the first meeting between the two teams this season. The Hawks swept both games last season and have won the last two contests against the Rockets in Atlanta.
Sengun was 12-for-20 from the field against the Grizzlies -- although he was just 7-for-15 from the free-throw line -- and had 14 rebounds and five assists. For the season, he is averaging 19.3 points and 10.5 rebounds. He is averaging 23.6 points over the last seven games.
"He was really going," coach Ime Udoka said. "The free-throw shooting has been an issue that Alpie's struggled with. But he's one of our leading scorers and shot creators for everybody else and I have confidence that he'll knock down those free throws at the end, even if he's having a rough game."
In four career games against Atlanta, two starts, Sengun is averaging 12.3 points and 7.5 rebounds.
Veteran Fred VanVleet scored a key basket in the final minute against Memphis, something he's also done consistently through his career against the Hawks. He averages 16.1 points and 6.6 assists in 19 career games against Atlanta.
"It's my favorite part of the game," VanVleet said. "Everything is on the line. Out there on an island trying to make a play for myself or for others. Just trying to steady the ship and calm us down a little bit."
Houston's Tari Eason has missed 11 consecutive games with lingering soreness in his lower left leg and an illness that has delayed his return. He is considered day-to-day.
Atlanta will be happy to return home after its longest road trip of the season. The Hawks haven't played a home game since Dec. 28.
The Hawks have been without second-leading scorer Jalen Johnson (19.8 points, 10.1 rebounds, 5.3 assists) for four of the last five games because of shoulder soreness. In his absence, De'Andre Hunter has helped pick up the slack -- particularly on defense -- and has embraced his role as the team's sixth man. Hunter is averaging 19.4 points.
"He's a warrior," Hawks coach Quin Snyder said. "Everything I'm saying about him on the offensive end, he's just a soldier defensively. Whether he's wrestling someone in the post or playing out on the floor in a pick-and-roll defense. His versatility on both sides of the floor has been huge for us."
Trae Young leads the Hawks with 22.5 points and leads the NBA with 12.1 assists. He had 20 assists against Utah last week, the third time he's reached that milestone this season. He is on pace to average the most assists in a season in franchise history and the most in a single NBA season since John Stockton in 1994-95.
--Field Level Media