On this last NBA weekend of the regular season, I have deliberately hunted for games where one side desperately needs a win, while the other looks more or less indifferent towards the end of the season.
In my research, I came across tonight’s duel between the Houston Rockets and the Atlanta Hawks. This pairing also convinced me because, according to my Rockets Hawks tip, the visitors are also much better than the Texans in terms of play!
In the Eastern Conference, only one “Win” separates each of the four teams still in contention for a spot in the Play-In Tournament! Being one of the first two of these franchises brings immense advantages.
Because in the event of a defeat in the subsequent preliminary play-off game, the seventh and eighth-placed teams would not be immediately out of the running. The Hawks, meanwhile, have forfeited this right with yesterday’s loss to the Heat.
However, Atlanta put up a good fight in the razor-thin 109-113 defeat against the league leaders from Florida – even better than expected! Trae Young was again their best man by far with 35 points!
Now the last game of the regular season is another very important match for the Hawks! If they win, they can move up one place on the basis of the direct comparison if the Cavs lose at the same time.
And even if that doesn’t work out, in the worst case they will at least be able to secure the important home right for the “9-10 Game” – no matter what the Hornets do against the Wizards in the parallel game.
To make that happen, Atlanta couldn’t ask for a better opponent. After the first-place team in the Eastern Conference, they now face the last-place team in the Western Conference, the Houston Rockets.
The Houston Rockets are the franchise with the fewest wins (20) and are now working on their next losing streak. This has now swelled to eight after yesterday’s defeat against the Raptors.
The Texans’ misery is certainly due to a squad of manageable quality and a persistent injury bug, which has not even stopped at the franchise’s best trade this year: Dennis Schröder from the Boston Celtics.
In mid-February, the German transferred to Houston. Since then, he has played 15 games and averaged 10.9 points, but due to a shoulder injury, the coach confirmed just a few days ago that he was out for the season.
The Texans sent a revamped starting five onto the field against Toronto with Mathews, Tate, Sengün, Green and the best of that bunch, Porter Jr. The starting five was born out of “injury woes” but still performed surprisingly well.
However, the Raptors came out with the handbrake on yesterday as they were already assured of a play-off spot. The Hawks, on the other hand, will fight like lions tonight to regain “their” 8th place in the standings.
As far as the direct comparison is concerned, it was the Texans who won the only duel of the season against the Hawks with 132:126, but the cards will be reshuffled with regard to tonight!
The Rockets’ starting five that night differed in three of five positions from the short-handed lineup that faced the Raptors.
Conclusion: The home side won the first and only meeting of the season against the Hawks in December, but the starting position for tonight is completely different.
For one thing, three of the five players who made the win possible on that night are missing, and for another, there is simply nothing at stake for the last-place team in the Western Conference.
The Hawks, for their part, fought brilliantly in their last game against the Heat and, despite the narrow defeat, could now fight their way back into the “7-8 game” with a win.
My Rockets Hawks tip is a logical one: Atlanta wins!
