Atlanta faces a difficult test tonight on the road in Houston, but the good news is that they will have their regular starting lineup. The Hawks are going to be starting Trae Young, Dejounte Murray, De’Andre Hunter, Saddiq Bey, and Clint Capela.
The Rockets are starting Fred VanVleet, Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, Jabari Smith, and Alperen Sengun.
While Jalen Johnson remains out, there was a positive update on his health today
“Forward Jalen Johnson (left distal radius fracture on Nov. 25) has been cleared to return to full team practice. His status will be updated as appropriate.”
It will be interesting to follow the next updates on Johnson now that he is able to return to full team practice. Hopefully, his recovery will still progress well and he can return to the court soon fully healthy.
The Hawks come into this game with one of the best offenses in the NBA and they are going to need everyone to play at a high level against this Rockets defense. The big question for the Hawks tonight will be the status of Bogdan Bogdanovic, who is questionable for this game with right ankle inflammation. If he plays, it is another offensive player to throw at this defense, but if he does not play, guys like Trae Young and Dejounte Murray are going to shoulder the load on offense.
The good news for the Hawks is that Young is playing like one of the best point guards in the NBA right now.
Young is averaging a career-high 11.0 assists and 1.29 steals, in addition to 28.1 points in 36.1 minutes per game. Young, who became the third-youngest player in NBA history to bury 900 three-pointers (25 years, 51 days) in Atlanta’s win over the Orlando Magic on Nov. 9, is the only player in the NBA this season averaging at least 28.0 points and 10.0 assists. The 6-1 guard is leading the league in total assists for the third straight season, handing out 263 helpers in 24 games played. Young owns an NBA-leading 13 games with at least 20 points and 10 assists, in addition to an Eastern Conference-leading six games with 30 or more points and 10 or more assists (second-most in NBA). The Oklahoma product put together a 45-point, 14-assist outing on Nov. 30, marking his 12th career game with at least 40 points and 10 assists, tying LeBron James and Allen Iverson for the eighth-most such games in NBA history.
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