The Hawks challenge the Rockets
The Atlanta Hawks rushed all the way to the playoffs, once again becoming a dark horse, but for last season's Eastern Conference runner-up, the result was somewhat disappointing. So, for the Hawks, all they have to do is rush into the playoffs and show the dark horse posture again. By the end of the game, the Hawks were in ninth place in the East, one win behind the Nets and Cavaliers, and in theory, they still had a chance to return to the top eight in the East, of course, this had to wait for the opponent to lose.
In the final game of the regular season, the Hawks will take on the Houston Rockets on the road. Regardless of the final ranking, the Hawks must do their best to win this game, and only then can they retain their hope of returning to the top eight. Although the Houston Rockets are in the bottom position in the West, the team's talent is still unquestionable.
The eye of the green explosion
The Hawks with the determination to win, Trae Young scored 5 points and 5 assists in the first quarter, Capela continued to bully the old club's interior line, 10 points and 5 rebounds on 4-of-6 shooting, Hunter also had 7 points and 1 rebound, the team scored 35 points in the first quarter, and the Rockets only scored 24 points, of which Matthews had 8 points and 2 rebounds on 3-of-4 shooting. After returning from the second quarter, Green suddenly broke out, shooting 5-of-7, 3-of-5 from three-point range, 13 points without free throws, Porter Jr. also had 12 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists, and the Rockets scored 35 points in a single quarter.
Even so, the Eagles withstood the pressure. Trae Young had 11 points and three assists on 4-of-4 shooting, Gallinari had 13 points and three rebounds on 5-of-5 shooting, and the team scored 38 points in a single quarter to lead the Rockets by 14 points at the end of halftime. In the second half, Green and Porter Jr. continued to work, Porter Jr. had 9 points, 2 rebounds and 4 assists, Green had 8 points, 1 rebound and 1 steal, the Rockets bombed another 32 points in a single quarter, while the Eagles only scored 29 points, and Trae Young only had 7 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists on 3-of-10 shooting. The Rockets narrowed the points gap to 11 points, and the suspense remained.
After returning from the final quarter, Jaylen Green's offense continued, shooting 5-of-9 and blasting 16 points and 2 assists in a single quarter, trying to end the season with a win. However, the Eagles did not agree, Trae Young 5 points, 1 rebound and 1 assist, Bogdanovic 6 points, 2 rebounds and 1 steal, the whole team blossomed more points, always maintaining a double-digit lead. In the end, the Atlanta Hawks defeated the Houston Rockets 130-114 on the road, successfully giving their opponents a seven-game losing streak.
The Eastern Dark Horse is back
All the Eastern Conference playoffs were released, and all four teams won the game, so the ranking is still the Nets Cavaliers Hawk Hornets. If the Hawks want to get a playoff spot, they must first beat the Hornets, and then challenge the losing side of the Nets and Cavaliers, and must win two games in a row, without any retreat, and the difficulty can be imagined. However, in this game, the Eagles once again showed the posture of the dark horse of the East, and the team scored 6 people in double figures, hit 21 three-pointers, and grabbed 50 rebounds, including 13 rebounds in the frontcourt.
Trae Young had 28 points, five rebounds and 11 assists, Gallinari had 26 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists, Hunter also had 22 points and 2 rebounds, Capela played only 23 minutes and had a double-double of 18 points and 13 rebounds, Hurt had 11 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, and Bogdanovic had 14 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists. On the Rockets side, Jaylen Green exploded with 41 points, 1 rebound and 3 assists, shooting 14 of 26 from the field. This made Green the first rookie season in Rockets history to score 40+ points after Olajuwon.
It is worth mentioning that 41 points is also the highest in Green's career, of course, it is also the highest single-game score for this rookie, and it has to be said that his future is incomparably shining. Porter Jr. had 26 points, eight rebounds and six assists, and Matthews had 14 points and six rebounds. The only regret is that the Rockets ended the season with a 7-game losing streak, and hopefully next season, they will be back in the playoffs.