Game Thread: Atlanta @ Houston -- 2/25

[ATL Boy]

Bomb Away Trae was en fuego tonight. He was in another zone, the same way he was in that Cleveland game to start the year. 8/12 on 3s and most of them were absolute missiles. He did look tired toward the end but that's understandable given the fact that he played 41 minutes and faced relentless pressure from multiple Rockets defenders down the stretch.

The 36 points tie Jaren Jackson Jr. for most points by a rookie in a game this year. The 8 3s tie Landry Shamet for most 3s by a rookie in a game this year. Trae already owns the mark for most assists by a rookie in a game this year (17 against Miami).

It's such a shame that nobody could step when the Rockets relentlessly trapped him after he hit that 8th 3. Nobody could take advantage of the fact that we basically had a 4 on 3 and that's what ended up costing us this game. We desperately need to draft that secondary option in the draft - someone who can punish defenses for giving Trae too much attention. Cam Reddish is already in that role at Duke.

Trae's 3-point percentage is at 32.9% for the season after this game. That's insane after he was at a lowly 21% after November. I don't think it's out of the question for him to be nailing 37% of his 3s next season.

[LunchBox21]

Is it crazy to say Trae is already better offensively than Dennis was? At their respective bests from what we've seen.. I may be taking Trae.

[Jamaaliver]

Trae looked tired towards the end of the game.

Three games in four nights will do that.

Welcome to the NBA, rook.

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[Jamaaliver]

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[Hazer]

Big nights from TrATL and J-Bap, broke The Beard’s streak, big stage with national attention, covered the spread, and preserved draft position. I’ll take that “every damn NIGHT”.

[graymule]

Everyone knows the old man is always going off about free throws. In last night game I found:

Atlanta Hawks had six players to combine for 16 points from the free throw line.

Houston had one player (Guess who?) that had 14 points all by himself in free throws on his way to 28 points...
He is talented and he is VERY talented in drawing the foul and then making the shots.

Once again, Hawks played much better on the road. They ultimately lost the game but they sure made it exciting
and it bodes well for what this team, with a little maturity and a little more talent VIA the draft and free agency
will push this team over the top into playoff territory.

We may be a few years away from being a championship contender but we can see it in our future. Now, making
the playoffs is another matter. That could come as soon as next season. Right now the Hawks have found a place
in the standings that they like and have settled down there..

Exciting game in Houston. Hint of things to come next season !!

[Jamaaliver]

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[High 5]

Trae looked tired towards the end of the game.

Yeah he could have a couple of 40 point games now if he had a little more gas in the tank. But last night was the first time he hit the 40 minute mark. He played almost the entire 2nd half and they were trapping hard towards the end. Maybe he would have had the juice if his teammates were able to capitalize.

[kg01]

Trae looked tired towards the end of the game.

Yeah he could have a couple of 40 point games now if he had a little more gas in the tank. But last night was the first time he hit the 40 minute mark. He played almost the entire 2nd half and they were trapping hard towards the end. Maybe he would have had the juice if his teammates were able to capitalize.

Good point. If Huerter had been able to have a decent/good game, that would've been just what we needed. He may need to sit until he's actually healthy, assuming that's what his problem was/is.

And I ain't gonna lie, when Heurt put Har_en on skates with his own double-stepbak moov, I would've had a heart attack if that'd gone in.

[benhillboy]

Yeah Huerter doesn’t look quite right. Still take him hobbled over Taurean healthy.

I didn’t see most of the game but I’ll take CP3’s stat line over Trae’s. I’ll always value an overall floor plan over volume scoring: he can do better than 1 board, 4 turns and no steals or blocks. I’d be a fool to say I wasn’t very encouraged by his exploits from 3 lately and just playing with horse sized balls.

But damn, the bench numbers look dreadful. They’re really starting to feel Lin’s absence. Speaking of old dude he’s struggling to find his shot but has a 3:1 assist to turnover surrounded by all that damn talent in Toronto. I’ll be curious to see who gets more minutes and crunch time in the playoffs between he and Van Fleet.

[peoriabird]

Yeah Huerter doesn’t look quite right. Still take him hobbled over Taurean healthy.

I didn’t see most of the game but I’ll take CP3’s stat line over Trae’s. I’ll always value an overall floor plan over volume scoring: he can do better than 1 board, 4 turns .

To be fair to Trae...The Houston defense was surrounding him in the 2nd half and his teammates didn't help him a whole lot. Meanwhile Harding took a lot of pressure off Paul.

[kg01]

Also, how hard to watch is Houston? My goodness I'd gouge my eyes out if I had to watch one dude tricky dribble for 22 seconds then jak up a shot or clumsily flail into a defender hoping for a whistle or badly fire off a "pass" to a teammate for a rushed shot that may/may not go in.

[Jamaaliver]

^You may have just described the Hawks circa 2007-2013.