The young and rebuilding Houston Rockets will finish out their 2021-22 season when they host the Hawks at Toyota Center on Sunday afternoon. Atlanta is playing for seeding and a chance to host a game in the upcoming Eastern Conference play-in tournament for the playoffs.
The Rockets are clearly underdogs, but led by Kevin Porter Jr. and rookie backcourt mate Jalen Green, they could potentially challenge Trae Young and the Hawks. Houston has covered the spread in its last three games versus teams that will play beyond the regular season (Raptors, Nets, and Timberwolves), including Friday’s near upset in Toronto.
If they lose to Atlanta, the Rockets would secure the No. 1 positioning slot all to themselves entering the 2022 NBA draft lottery. On the other hand, should Houston win, Orlando would have an opportunity to tie for the league’s worst record when they face Miami later in the day. The appeal to the top slot is that it prevents the holder from falling any lower than No. 5 overall (pick odds) in the final first-round order.
Houston stunned the Hawks in the previous meeting between these two teams in December 2021. However, the Rockets were led that game by veteran guards Eric Gordon and DJ Augustin, who will not be on the court Sunday. Veteran wing David Nwaba, who has not been in Houston’s rotation in recent weeks, played a key role in slowing Young.
9. Atlanta (42-39)
10. Charlotte (42-39)#Rockets final game will be against the Atlanta Hawks. And the Hawks will be VERY incentivized to win that game to host the 9/10 Play-in game. Maybe an outside shot at the 8 seed. 1 more #Rockets loss has them the top spot on #Tankathon https://t.co/xn496M2ybK— Chris A. White 🐻 (@fyrebear) April 9, 2022