Basketball
3rd Quarter Report
Down one at the end of the second quarter, the Rockets now have the lead. They have a bit of a cushion as they currently lead the Hawks 94-80.
The Rockets entered the game having won three straight and they’re just one quarter away from another. Will they make it four, or will the Hawks step up and spoil it? We’ll know soon.
Who’s Playing
Houston Rockets @ Atlanta Hawks
Current Records: Houston 31-14, Atlanta 22-24
How To Watch
- When: Tuesday, January 28, 2025 at 7:30 p.m. ET
- Where: State Farm Arena — Atlanta, Georgia
- TV: FanDuel SN – Southeast
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online Streaming: Catch select NBA matches on Fubo (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
What to Know
The Hawks will be in front of their home fans on Tuesday, but a look at the spread shows they might need that home-court advantage. They and the Houston Rockets will face off at 7:30 p.m. ET at State Farm Arena without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. The Hawks have a tough task ahead: they’ll enter the contest with five straight defeats, while the Rockets will come in with three straight victories.
The Hawks are headed into this one after the oddsmakers set last week’s over/under low at 217, but even that wound up being too high. They fell 100-92 to the Timberwolves on Monday. The match marked Atlanta’s lowest-scoring matchup so far this season.
De’Andre Hunter put forth a good effort for the losing side as he went 12 for 21 en route to 35 points. His performance made up for a slower game against the Raptors on Thursday. Mouhamed Gueye, on the other hand, was considerably less helpful: he went 0-6 from downtown.
Meanwhile, the Rockets hadn’t done well against the Celtics recently (they were 2-8 in their previous ten matchups), but they didn’t let the past get in their way on Monday. The Rockets skirted by the Celtics 114-112 thanks to a clutch shot from Amen Thompson with but a second left in the fourth quarter. The win came about thanks to a strong surge starting at the 8:38 mark of the fourth quarter, when Houston was facing a 101-89 deficit.
The Rockets’ victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Thompson, who dropped a double-double on 33 points and ten rebounds. What’s more, Thompson also posted a 50% three-point shooting accuracy, which is the highest he’s posted since back in November of 2024. Another player making a difference was Dillon Brooks, who went 10 for 15 from beyond the arc en route to 36 points.
The Rockets were working as a unit and finished the game with 29 assists. They are a perfect 6-0 when they’ve passed the ball that well.
Atlanta’s loss dropped their record down to 22-24. As for Houston, they are on a roll lately: they’ve won nine of their last 11 contests, which provided a nice bump to their 31-14 record this season.
While only the Rockets took care of their fans the last time they played, both teams pleased bettors by covering the spread. Looking ahead, the Rockets are the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by six points. They might be worth a quick bet since they’re sitting on a five game streak of covering the spread when playing as the favorites on the road.
The Hawks were able to grind out a solid win over the Rockets in their previous matchup back in February of 2024, winning 122-113. Do the Hawks have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Rockets turn the tables on them? We’ll have the answer soon enough.
Odds
Houston is a solid 6-point favorite against Atlanta, according to the latest NBA odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Rockets as a 5-point favorite.
The over/under is 227.5 points.
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Series History
Atlanta has won 6 out of their last 10 games against Houston.
- Feb 10, 2024 – Atlanta 122 vs. Houston 113
- Dec 20, 2023 – Atlanta 134 vs. Houston 127
- Nov 25, 2022 – Houston 128 vs. Atlanta 122
- Oct 19, 2022 – Atlanta 117 vs. Houston 107
- Apr 10, 2022 – Atlanta 130 vs. Houston 114
- Dec 13, 2021 – Houston 132 vs. Atlanta 126
- May 16, 2021 – Atlanta 124 vs. Houston 95
- Mar 16, 2021 – Atlanta 119 vs. Houston 107
- Jan 08, 2020 – Houston 122 vs. Atlanta 115
- Nov 30, 2019 – Houston 158 vs. Atlanta 111
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