Rockets 104, Hawks 86: Kevin Durant leads another back-to-back win
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What were the highlights of the Rockets' win against the Hawks?
Welcome in, everybody, to the Clutch Fans Live postgame show. Rockets get a win, 104-86 in Atlanta, the second game of a back-to-back for both teams, actually. A very shorthanded Atlanta Hawks team, yet by the same token, Rockets were missing Tari Eason and Dorian Finney-Smith. But Rockets used a second-half surge. Close game throughout up until that mid-third quarter, and they just kind of pulled away from the Hawks and turned into a rout. Like I said, 104-86. Kevin Durant continues to feast as he's been essentially the MVP for this team.
How did Kevin Durant perform in this game?
12 of 22 from the field, 31 points and got a lot of contributors in this game as well. I'm here with Ben Dubose. You can follow him on Twitter at Ben Dubose. Read his stuff on Rockets Wire on USA Today and on Clutch Fans as well. Ben, I'm curious your thoughts in this game.
What challenges did the Rockets face with missing players?
Obviously, this wasn't the greatest test. This wasn't the San Antonio game, but it's a good win.
Yeah, absolutely. Night two of a road back-to-back, the way the Rockets started the season in these situations, you certainly shouldn't complain about it. I think at the end of the day, this is a game that one team had Kevin Durant, the other didn't, and ultimately that's what won the day. I mean, Kevin, the shape he keeps his body in at 37 years old is phenomenal to be able to deliver like this on night two of back-to-backs. I can't help but think back to last month. It's a fascinating thought exercise. You know, one month ago, we were talking about the lack of consistency and the highs and the lows. The Rockets had all these big wins, but they had the awful losses. It seems like the Kings, the Pelicans, the Trailblazers, and now it feels like
They're taking care of business on these night two of back-to-backs. This is their third straight win. The effort seems much more professional, yet the disconcerting thing, last night against the Spurs and obviously the Thunder game a couple of weeks ago, you've had two games recently against upper echelon competition in which the Rockets' offense just wasn't good enough. So the professionalism...
What improvements did Jabari Smith Jr. show in this game?
It's a lot better right now. But I guess the mid to late January Rockets, the concerns are back as far as is this offense without Fred and Fleet going to be good enough to contend for a championship? And so which version would you prefer? It's a fascinating thought exercise. But for me, I think I prefer this version, especially because, you know, you have had some big wins. You did beat the Spurs last week. You beat the Pistons last week.
How did Alperen Sengun's performance impact the game?
And if you're going to ultimately fix the problems with this team, you at least need to start with the right spirit. You need to start with the right competitive fire. And for this team to go out and take care of business against an undermanned Hawks team, I know the Rockets were a little bit undermanned themselves, but... they're playing with the right respect for the game. And I think that's where you've got to start. Like, there's some problems, especially offensively, that in the aftermath of this first game, they've got to iron out. But at least in contrast to December, this current version of the Rockets seems to be taking the games much more seriously. And I think in the interim, that's something to celebrate, even if there are bigger challenges ahead.
Yeah, KD tonight, boy, just made some really, really big shots. As I mentioned, 12 of 22. And I think you summed it up nicely. The Rockets had KD. They did not. They're missing Jalen Johnson tonight. Obviously missing Porzingis, who's been out. Okongwu, who's been playing... really well. They came in, the Hawks did, with a four-game winning streak.
What are the implications of Steven Adams' injury for the Rockets?
Okonwu was averaging 18 points in those four games. He had some sort of issue, got hit. I lost a tooth something with Jalen Brown last night in Boston. So he was out in this game. So it was basically CJ McCollum, Alexander Walker, those guys. So they were missing some firepower, definitely. But I still love the way the Rockets responded. And again, KD deserves all the flowers because this guy is, you know, when we have a bunch of players on this team that struggle here and there, you know, obviously we saw Jabari.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What were the highlights of the Rockets' win against the Hawks?
0:02–0:36
2
How did Kevin Durant perform in this game?
0:36–0:55
3
What challenges did the Rockets face with missing players?
0:55–2:06
4
What improvements did Jabari Smith Jr. show in this game?
2:06–2:28
5
How did Alperen Sengun's performance impact the game?
2:28–3:26
6
What are the implications of Steven Adams' injury for the Rockets?
3:26–5:06
7
What trade options are being considered for the Rockets?
5:06–8:18
8
What future challenges do the Rockets face as the season progresses?
8:18–34:31
Speakers
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