Who’s Playing
Atlanta @ Houston
Current Records: Atlanta 42-39; Houston 20-61
What to Know
The Houston Rockets need to shore up a defense that is allowing 118.05 points per game before their contest Sunday. They will square off against the Atlanta Hawks at 3:30 p.m. ET at Toyota Center. These two teams are out to turn their luck around after having lost tight contests in their previous games.
The Rockets lost 117-115 to the Toronto Raptors this past Friday on a last-minute jumper from Toronto’s shooting guard Gary Trent Jr. with 0:04 left to play. Houston was up 36-20 at the end of the first quarter but couldn’t hold on to the lead. One thing holding Houston back was the mediocre play of shooting guard Jalen Green, who did not have his best game: he finished with only eight points on 3-for-10 shooting and turned the ball over five times in his 36 minutes on the court.
Speaking of close games: it was a hard-fought matchup, but Atlanta had to settle for a 113-109 loss against the Miami Heat this past Friday. Point guard Trae Young put forth a good effort for the losing side as he had 35 points and eight assists.
The losses put Atlanta at 42-39 and the Rockets at 20-61. The Hawks are still in the hunt for a spot in the playoffs, so these next one game are critical for them. Houston has been eliminated from playoff contention.
Houston is the clear underdog, so they’re hoping it’s the size of the fight that determines this one. They might be worth taking a chance on against the spread, however, as they are currently on a three-game streak of ATS wins.
The Rockets didn’t have too much breathing room in their matchup with Atlanta in the teams’ previous meeting last December, but they still walked away with a 132-126 win. Will Houston repeat their success, or does Atlanta have a better game plan this time around? We’ll find out soon enough.
How To Watch
When: Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ETWhere: Toyota…
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