Atlanta Hawks head coach Quin Snyder said that the team certainly missed the services of Jalen Johnson (calf) and Onyeka Okongwu (mouth) in their 104-86 home loss against the Houston Rockets on Thursday evening.
After a close first half, the Houston Rockets outscored the Atlanta Hawks 61-44 in the second half. The hosts looked fatigued, as they were outmuscled in the offensive glass, conceding 22 offensive rebounds. To be fair to them, this was the second game of a back-to-back set.
“Not having Jalen and Onyeka is substantial,” Quin Snyder said via ClutchPoints Malik Brown. “Their ability to create advantages, it’s something that we rely on offensively. When we did get into the paint, we were trying to challenge shots, and then we were taking the ball. It was (the Rockets’) tempo in part because of the offensive rebounds, which makes it more challenging for us.”
“The way we play, we should be able to generate (offense) on our own. Houston does a good job of putting their hands on you and slowing you down. Missing a guy like JJ or O, it takes a while to get used to that,” Corey Kispert added.
Atlanta Hawks News: Quin Snyder gives Kevin Durant credit for outstanding scoring performance
Besides getting outrebounded, the Atlanta Hawks couldn’t find an answer for Kevin Durant, who poured in 31 points, five rebounds, and four assists on 12-for-22 shooting from the field across 34 minutes of action.
“When he’s at the nail at the foul line, it’s very difficult to double-team him there, and a lot of times he’ll shoot it before the double comes,” Snyder said. “When you do commit two players to him, that’s when you get hurt on the glass. He’s clearly an elite player. But we did a good job on some of the other guys.”
“They got a little bit of everything. It went from down two, to seven, and then it got up to like 15. And it was hard to come back, especially in a low-possession game where they’re getting offensive rebounds,” CJ McCollum added.
