Two 2-0 teams, one home opener
Somebody’s zero stays untouched tonight. The Houston Rockets visit the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night, both teams unbeaten, in Atlanta’s first game at home this season.
The Hawks arrive loud. They beat Charlotte 128-81 on Friday, a club-record 47-point margin, and they are scoring about 130 a game. The more telling number came on the other end: 17 steals and 25 forced turnovers against the Hornets. Dyson Daniels alone has 12 steals in two games. Nickeil Alexander-Walker leads the team at 22.5 points per night, while Jalen Johnson is filling every column with 19.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 7 assists. Aaron Wiggins adds 17.5.
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Houston’s edge in this series
The Rockets earned their 2-0 the hard way. They edged San Antonio 114-110 on Friday, and the finish hinged on one play: Amen Thompson blocked a Victor Wembanyama drive with 0.6 seconds left that would have tied it. Alperen Sengun had 29 in that game, with Kevin Durant and Thompson each scoring 20.
History leans their way. Houston has beaten Atlanta four straight times, including the last two in Atlanta. Durant has averaged 29.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.7 assists in 34 career games against the Hawks, and he scored 31 and 25 against them last season. A 3-0 start would be Houston’s first since 2017-18.
Who is missing
Fred VanVleet will sit out for load management. He missed all of last season after right ACL surgery and played 31 minutes, scoring 14, against the Spurs. Steven Adams (right calf) is questionable after playing almost nine minutes on Friday.
For Atlanta, a win would mean a first 3-0 start since the 2020-21 team that reached the Eastern Conference final. The same teams meet again Monday in Houston.
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