James Harden led the Rockets with a career-high 45 points. He was just acquired by the Rockets earlier in the week from the Oklahoma City Thunder and has done well in his first two games as he scored 37 in the opener. Jeremy Lin also scored 21 points and had ten rebounds and seven assists. Marcus Morris chipped in seventeen points off the bench to help the cause.
The Hawks seemed to be missing a step compared to the Rockets. They played bad defense, didn't rebound very well, and missed a lot of shots. Coach Larry Drew even said they are still struggling to find an identity. The Hawks held the lead through most of the first quarter, but didn't lead again until the fourth quarter when Josh Smith hit a shot with 7:12 remaining. The Rockets picked up the pace then, and the Hawks just couldn't keep up.
One positive thing for the Hawks, they had six players that scored in double figures. Unlike the Rockets, who only had three players they really relied on, the Hawks showed a balanced attack. Lou Williams led the team with 22 points. Smith added eighteen points and ten rebounds, to lead the Hawks in that category. Al Horford and Jeff Teague had fourteen points, Zaza Pachulia had thirteen points and DeShawn Stevenson had twelve points on four 3-pointers. Coach Drew didn't play Ivan Johnson, Anthony Morrow and rookies Mike Scott and John Jenkins. Johan Petro was inactive.
The Hawks will be back in action on Sunday at 7 p.m. They will travel to play the Thunder in Oklahoma City. Unfortunately, they will be with Smith, who sprained his ankle against the Rockets. Coach Drew will have a tough time finding someone to replace Smith in the lineup, as his production is so high, it will be a nearly impossible task to accomplish.
Josh Smith dunks against the Rockets. After putting up eighteen points and ten rebounds on Friday, he will miss the Hawks' game on Sunday with a sprained ankle.
Photo Courtesy of yahoo.com
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