The Atlanta Hawks defeated the Houston Rockets 109-97 last night at the Philips Arena to bring team’s current win streak to five.
The Hawks were able to overcome the superstar talent of the Rockets’ shooting guard James Harden, Jr. and center Dwight Howard thanks to an offense that is continuing to mesh. Over the last five games, the Hawks have averaged 108.4 points.
Hawks center Al Horford led the way with 22 points and nine rebounds, but the highlight of the night came from Hawks guard Tim Hardaway, Jr.’s continued success off the bench. Hardaway put up 20 points to give the Hawks a much needed lift.
The Rockets’ forward Michael Beasley provided an even bigger lift off the bench. Beasley scored 30 points and bailed out a struggling Howard, who only scored eight points.
Howard began the game in a strange fashion by applying stickum to his hands prior to the game. After receiving the ball for a free throw early in the game, the Hawks’ Paul Milsap noticed the foreign substance and asked the referee to change the ball out. It’s still unclear why a player who struggles to shoot would apply a substance to his hands that keeps the ball stuck to him, but hey, it’s the Rockets. It’s also unclear how a team with such talent is fighting for a playoff spot.
As an aside, this should be a much larger controversy. It should be equated to the NFL’s Deflategate, and the NBA should come down hard on Howard. Had Lebron James or Stephen Curry committed a similar act, the basketball world would have been flipped upside down. But it’s Dwight Howard, and we just don’t care about him. End aside.
The Hawks led early in the game, as they were up by 14 at one point, but they allowed the Rockets to come storming back on a 28-9 run that sucked the life out of the arena to bring Houston out front 58-52 at the half.
However, Atlanta would not go out without a fight. The Hawks straight out dominated the fourth quarter, only allowing 14 points while forcing the Rockets to shoot six of 19. Down two points late in the fourth, the Hawks went on a 9-0 run that had the Philips Arena rocking.
The Hawks have been steadily improving over the last few weeks as their dominant defense has raised eyebrows in the Eastern conference. They are beginning to solidify their playoff position as both the Hawks and the Miami Heat have slowly separated themselves from the remaining playoff contenders.
The Hawks are eight games away from securing their spot in the playoffs. Now, it’s simply a question of who they will face in the first round.
The Hawks will look to win their sixth straight game against John Wall, Jr. and the Washington Wizards Monday night at the Philips Arena.
