Hawks handle Rockets 130-114 in final game of regular season

The Atlanta Hawks were on the road for a matchup vs. the Houston Rockets on Sunday as they finished off the 2021-22 regular season. The Hawks were able to take care of business vs. a young Rockets team on Sunday, winning by a score of 130-114. Atlanta finishes the season with a 43-39 record, as the No. 9 seed in the Eastern Conference.

The Hawks will now move on to the Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament, where they will host the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night. As the No. 9 seed, Atlanta will need to win two games to reach the postseason. If the Hawks were able to win those two games, they would face the No. 1 seed Miami Heat in the first round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs.

As far as the game vs. Houston is concerned, the Hawks controlled things throughout, though the Rockets did hang around for much of the contest. Atlanta led 35-24 after the first quarter behind strong play from Clint Capela inside.

After a strong second quarter from Danilo Gallinari they were able to take a 73-59 halftime lead. Trae Young had 16 points and eight assists at the half.

The Hawks finally found some separation in the fourth quarter, when an 11-0 run pushed the lead to 115-97 with 6:57 to go. Atlanta would hold on from there, finishing off the 130-114 win. Atlanta shot a season-best 21-of-38 (55%) from three-point range in the win.

Young had his NBA-leading 42nd points-and-assists double-double in the win, posting 28 points and 11 assists. Gallinari added 26 points, while Capela finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds, with De’Andre Hunter notching 22 points.

Young set a franchise record for made three-points in a season on Sunday, breaking Mookie Blaylock’s record of 231 from the 1995-1996 season. Young finished the 2021-22 regular season with 233 threes. And in another bit of statistical history, Young led the NBA in both total points and total assists this season. He is the second player in NBA history to accomplish the feat (Tiny Archibald, 1972-1973).

The Hawks will now have a couple of off days before meeting the Charlotte Hornets in the Play-In.

Stay tuned.